


Finding Home

by EmmaSpencer



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Back to the palace, Faem life, Family Secrets, Far secluded perfect for us, Finding home, Gen, Greg falls for Mycroft, Greg is a guard, Greg to the rescue, It comes true, Love Confessions, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mycroft gets into Greg's head, Mycroft has to learn a lot, Mycroft is a prisoner, Prophecy, Quiet literally, Running Away, Sherlock appears, Toby appears, You can't hide forever, Young Mycroft Holmes/Young Greg Lestrade, it is written it can't be changed, mind reading/talking, mycroft dies, new meaning to the prophecy, or maybe not, settling in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-21 23:57:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14296254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmaSpencer/pseuds/EmmaSpencer
Summary: Greg got promoted, or they said. Guarding the thin, pale read head prisoner turns to a nightmare when he learns he tends to kill his guards. And if that wasn't enough he is talking to Greg in his head, watching his memories, feeling what he feels. Greg tries to fight against it, but when Mycroft is scheduled to be executed he helps him get away and runs with him. Mycroft spent his whole life in that prison because of a prophecy his father, the king got before his birth; so Greg has a lot to deal with. Starting with keeping Mycroft alive, teaching him everything about life out in the world. As they got to know each other, the prophecy gets a totally new meaning. Making them realise that their relationship and their life was already decided for them…or maybe not.





	1. Chapter 1

“This is it. Do not go closer than the line, do not try to talk to him, do not pity him! I’m not kidding, the reason we need to change the guards so often because he lures them in and then…” he pulled his finger in front of his neck. “Good luck Lestrade.”  
Greg glanced towards the cell, he saw a young man kneeling in the middle, scanning him with curiosity. Greg cursed himself and everyone else that he ended up here. They presented it as a promotion, when simply they put him here to be murdered by a very pale, thin, red head. Greg took his position, gun drawn and eyed his őrisoner with uncertainty.  
“What is your name?” a voice broke the deafening silence after a while, Greg didn’t answer.  
“Gregory?” Greg felt sick, how on earth he knows his name. “You know I’m only a year younger than you.” Greg would never guess that, he looked much younger, maybe bathing in the blood of his victims made him younger.  
“You are funny, I like you.” he chuckled; Greg was really confused now, was he talking to himself, was he mad?  
“I’m sane, as sane as you can be; if you don’t consider being closed to a cell from birth on your own, never touched by anyone if you don’t count the beating.” he sighed. Greg started to shake, he lowered his head so he doesn’t have to look at him.  
“I won’t go out, don’t worry. Not that I’d want to…I’m scared to be honest. I lived here all my life, never set foot out of this cell…I’m not sure how the outside world is, what to expect…if you don’t count what I read in outdated books. I’m scared that I wouldn’t be able to fit in. I read about it a lot and it seems complicated, dangerous…it made me accept that I’m closed up, it made me want to stay here.” Greg was surprised; he wouldn’t want to be locked up no matter what.  
“I don’t expect you to understand my reasons.” Someone came in and he fell silent.  
“Sir.” Greg bowed.  
“Lestrade…did you say something to it?”  
“No Sir.”  
“It’s never been this chatty.”  
“I did what I was told, no talking, no eye contact, not stepping over the line.”  
“Good, do not pay attention to what he’s saying. It’s a little monster, lying and killing monster, nothing more.” he mumbled and left.  
“He is right, I’m not usually talking to my guards. My name is Mycroft by the way but usually I’m referred to as It. Like I’m an unwanted object…would you believe if I’d say that I’m the son of the king? In deed I am, the first son, he got a prophecy before I was born, that the boy born on the appointed day will destroy him…if we get to be friends I tell you the whole prophecy. As you can imagine I was born that day and here I am…” suddenly it was silent, it was so sudden that Greg looked up with surprise, Mycroft was sitting by the glass.  
“Got you.” he smiled widely. “Hi.” he waved. “Nice to see your face, you have a nice body, but I prefer to look people in the eyes.” Greg turned his eyes away not liking a bit that he was checking him out.  
“I don’t have much experience with these kind of things, the books I get are really old fashioned, they don’t trust me with newer ones; maybe you could help. In books, it’s always a woman and a man falling in love, but not for me…I have a few women guards but noting…but other men…you especially.” he sighed. “I know we just met, but you are beautiful, if I may say. So my question is, is it normal fancying man or there’s something really wrong with me?” Greg slightly shook his head.  
“So it is okay? Oh, thank you so much Gregory, I thought something was really wrong with me. It’s a big relief…I’m normal.” he exclaimed; Greg rolled his eyes.  
“Why do you roll your eyes? I know I’m not like you or your neighbour but at least my sexual preference is not abnormal. It’s something! I learned to appreciate every small thing. Don’t you?” Greg thought about his question, no, he didn’t appreciate every small thing.  
“It’s okay Gregory, no one does. They take everything granted, rushing everywhere, not stopping to enjoy small things; like a good dish or a book, a soft fabric, patterns, smells…” the door opened and he fell silent again, getting further away from the glass.  
“Come on Lestrade, we need to shut him up.” he opened the door and they stepped to the cell, Greg had his gun aimed at Mycroft, who was kneeling by the wall his hand chained to the wall behind his back. “Now you’ll shut up.” he forced a gag to his mouth, securing it tightly. “Never turn your back to him.” he warned Greg as they backed out of the cell.  
“Thank you Sir.” Greg turned and looked at Mycroft he was again sitting close to the glass looking at him angrily.  
‘Like they can shut me up.’ Greg heard Mycroft’s voice in his head; his eyes went wide from fear. ‘Yes I can do this, if I really want to. You are the first I chose to let in my head; it works backwards too…I’m not going to spy around, a lot; promise. You are just interesting, more than the others. I could see the outside through your memories…it is really different from the books, kind of scares me to be honest. God there is so much I wish to know…’  
‘Why me?’ Greg intercepted him.  
‘Oh he can talk! You have a nice soothing voice Gregory.’  
‘Of course I can talk but I was told not to.’  
‘Why?’  
‘They said you manipulate people, get into their head and then kill them…you already got into my head…Great! I was about to get married.’  
‘Lucky man.’ Mycroft sighed. ‘I only kill the ones that want to hurt me. One of them wanted to rape me…that was really scary to be honest. I liked him a bit to be honest and then one evening…’ Greg shrugged he saw the mentioned night, he felt what Mycroft felt. ‘Another thought he’ll do a favour to my father by killing me, and more…if you don’t hurt me, I won’t hurt you.’  
‘Promise?’  
‘Of course.’  
‘What counts as hurting you?’  
‘What do you think? I go and sulk a bit if you allow me, I hate having this on. It’s too tight, pressing my tongue down so strongly, it hurts. And I can’t get it off, I tried several times. But I looked like a cat trying to get something off its head, really ridiculous…so I gave up.’  
‘How did you get out of the cuffs?’  
‘They control it, I was trained to sit by the wall and cuff myself when they come in and they release it once back in the control room.’  
‘How they trained you?’  
‘Painfully.’ he mumbled. ‘I’ll be in bed if you look for me, talk to you later.’ Greg felt Mycroft’s presence leaving him, he sighed inwardly feeling relieved and a bit scared. He didn’t want to stay here anymore, not that he had a choice, he’ll have to stay here and come back again and again. He glanced at Mycroft who was curled up in bed with his back to him. He was a really strange creature, very thin most like didn’t get much food, extremely pale like he never saw the sunlight, which he did not. His eyes were ice cold blue, piercing right through you, looking into your soul and getting into your head, like he did. Greg sighed, he was scared, really scared for the first time in his life. Mycroft didn’t communicate with him till the end of his sift. He quickly got changed and walked out as fast as he could, when he was far enough not to be seen he started to run. 

 

“Nice to meet you again Gregory.” Greg walked to his post without a word. “Are you going to talk to me today?” Mycroft didn’t have the gag anymore, but he had bruises around his neck, it looked painful and he was surprised to feel sorry for him. His feelings towards his prisoner were hatred, anger, disgust just a few minutes ago, but seeing him like this brought it out of him.  
“My father came to see me, then I’m really secured not to hurt him. He does nothing just comes in and stares at me then leaves. I know what you think, why not kill me then, why keep me alive. The answer is my mother; he promised her that I won’t be hurt. She died a few years ago unfortunately, she wasn’t allowed to visit me, it was part of their deal. I stay alive, but she doesn’t see me every again. When I first learned about it I was angry at her, angry at everyone for letting this happen, for bowing their head and letting everyone treat me like garbage…but I made my peace with it, she did it out of love. She agreed never to see me, in order to keep me alive, she loved me.” he smiled sadly. “She was a beautiful lady, I have a picture of her, from it I can tell that she was kind too. My brother was lucky he could spend time with her, although she seemed a bit sad…Do you have your family? Do they love you?” Greg thought about his parents how they sacrificed everything so their kids could have a normal life, they could go to school, have a career. How his father died in an industrial accident leaving his mum so devastated she followed him soon.  
“They’d be really proud of you.” Mycroft whispered. Greg gave him an angry look to silence him. “I’m sorry.” Mycroft shrunk under his gaze. “I better go and read.” he mumbled and left Greg. “I have real books, everyone would be jealous you know. At first I thought it’s the normal then I learned that they are special! It’s hard to find them out, I learned it when someone tried to take them and sell them, guess what happened to him. I really like them, the smell of books, the texture of the paper…I know why I only get them, they are scared I’d hack the system; happened before. I was five, it took me a day, I was punished after that; really badly…” Greg felt Mycroft’s emotions sweeping over him, he shrugged feeling the echo of his pain, hearing his screams. His breathing quickened, he was sweating, shaking.  
“Stop please.” Greg whined. Mycroft’s head shot up.  
‘I’m sorry, memories, they just took over me. You felt everything?’ he continued to talk, but in Greg’s head only.  
‘I did, it hurt; your screams were horrid.’ Greg answered. ‘I only felt part of the pain, but it was already too much for me.’  
‘I’m sorry I put you through it. Imagine, getting that at the age of five.’  
‘Go and read!’  
‘Yes Sir, sorry.’ Mycroft left him alone for the remainder of the day.

 

‘I missed you Gregory.’ Mycroft had the gag on when they met again. ‘I’m really sorry for the last time, I thought I could make up for it. I can call forward your happy memories, if you want it.’  
‘No thank you.’  
‘Okay. I bit someone.’ Mycroft sighed pointing at his face. ‘I have no idea who was he, never met him before, but I didn’t like him…I’m like an animal as he said. He said animals that bite has to be punished and he put this collar around my neck, it’s a shock collar, it’s too tight, I can’t breathe properly and really hurts when they shock me. I don’t know what they want with me. He’ll be back today, so you can meet him.’ at that point the door opened and the mentioned man came in. Mycroft quickly got back to the wall.  
“Lestrade if I heard well.” he stopped in front of him.  
“Yes Sir.”  
“Dr. M. You’ve been in there before?”  
“Yes Sir.”  
“Good, let’s go.” they went in. Mycroft regarded them with suspicion. His hands were released from the cuffs. “Are you going to act like you should?” he asked and took off the gag.  
“Only if you act properly too.” he moved his jaw, happy to be released from it; Mycroft was shocked.  
“You are not to talk, have you forgotten?” he looked at him sternly.  
“Why?” Mycroft was shocked again.  
“Animals don’t talk.”  
“But I’m not an animal.” he was shocked again, Mycroft was curled up on the ground whimpering from the pain.  
“You are nothing, you supposed to be silent and obedient. Like you learned before…” he shook his head. “Looks like we have to start all over again.”  
“We met before?” Mycroft asked and then was shocked again.  
“Think little pet.” he turned to Greg. “Get him back to the wall.” he ordered. Greg stepped closer pointing the gun at Mycroft, it was enough for him to get back to his place.  
“You just have to ask me.” Mycroft cuffed himself to the wall. “I’m not an animal.” he was shocked again and the gag put on him.  
“You are.” he ripped the clothes off him. “And as an animal you don’t deserve to wear clothes.” Mycroft’s eyes were filled with hatred, his hands were released and new heavy cuffs were put on his hands and legs. “No standing up.” Greg felt the shame, sadness and fear Mycroft felt at the moment, he had to blink rapidly not to let his tears fell as Mycroft’s were flowing down his cheeks. Greg felt lightheaded, pain grow in his chest and around his neck, his limbs were heavy, he didn’t have enough air.  
“We leave him for now.” the doctor said. “I’ll be back in a few hours, there’s lot to be done with him.”  
“May I ask why Sir?” managed to ask although he wanted nothing more than to lay down and disappear.  
“He started to talk to people, not just you; to the other guards too. It’s dangerous, we need him quiet and afraid of the guards, not trying to make friends with them.”  
“That is understandable, thank you for explaining it.”  
“Welcome, I’ll be back in a few hours.”  
‘Mycroft, could you please get out of my head?’ Greg pleaded in his head when he left them.  
‘Gregory.’ Mycroft’s voice was weak and shaking.  
‘I can’t work like this.’  
‘How can you let me live like this?’ he whined.  
‘Just obey and everything will be back as it was before. Stay quiet, do what they tell you, pretend!’  
‘He’ll know if I pretend.’  
‘Are you sure?’  
‘No.’  
‘Try it, could you please go back to your own head?’  
‘I’m sorry.’ Greg sighed when Mycroft closed off. He glanced at him, Mycroft was curled up by the wall with his back to him. Greg looked around in the emptied out cell, it seemed even colder and more uninviting then before. Greg kept his eyes on Mycroft’s back as he sobbed, trying to get the cuffs off himself, he kept hitting it to the ground whining with frustration.

“Let’s get back to him.” Greg followed the doctor to the cell, Mycroft didn’t move from his place. “Come here!” he ordered. Mycroft slowly pushed himself up and started to crawl towards them, his eyes were red from crying, Greg saw the red lines his nails made and the bruises as he tried to get rid of the cuffs and the gag. “Here you are little pet. Ready for a walk?” Mycroft looked at him with horror in his eyes, Greg immediately felt how terrified he was. The doctor produced a chain and attached it to the collar. “Let’s go.” he started to pull him towards the door. Mycroft didn’t want to go, he struggled and tried to look for something he could use to get out of the situation. He collapsed to the ground when he was shocked. “Come on!” he pulled him harder, Mycroft didn’t get up, he just let the doctor pull him out of the cell. Greg was joined with three of his colleagues as they left the basement. After a while Mycroft gave up and started to walk on his hands and knees. Greg still felt the shame and the fear; Mycroft never left his cell and now he was forced out, naked, in chains, treated like an animal. They went to the yard which was filled with people, it was really bright and loud. People were shouting, laughing, splitting, throwing things at him as he was led around the yard. Greg felt every hit, he needed everything not to collapse as it got harder and harder to walk from the pain in his limbs, he had less and less air, since Mycroft was crying, his nose was clogged and the collar got even tighter. Before getting back to the building everything went blank in front of Greg for a second, he would have fallen if not for his colleague.  
“Okay Lestrade?”  
“Sorry, I tripped.” he mumbled, he looked at Mycroft who was laying on the ground, barely breathing, pulled around like a toy.  
“Didn’t last that long.” Dr. M. kicked his side. “Get him back to his cell.” he gave Greg the leash. Greg had no other choice than to continue to pull him back to the room. He tried to be more careful, but too much eyes were on him to do so.

‘Mycroft?’ Greg tried to reach him, hoping it’ll work. Mycroft was kneeling in the corner, his hands on his knees, his head lowered, silent as he should, but still naked. ‘Mycroft? Can you hear me?’ Greg tried again.  
‘I can.’ he heard Mycroft’s weak voice.  
‘How are you?’  
‘Been better…did you feel everything?’  
‘Yes.’  
‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t control it during the walk.’  
‘I know, I’m sorry you had to get through it.’  
‘Well he got what he wanted. I’m his obedient little puppy.’  
‘It’ll be over soon, it’ll get better.’  
‘How would you know?’ he sighed.  
‘This is what they want from you; to feel hopeless, weak, out of control, be afraid, forced to live in uncertainty.’  
‘I was so scared Gregory.’  
‘I know.’  
‘I’ve never been out. All the people like that?’  
‘No. They were told to do so.’  
‘It was too bright and loud.’  
‘Yes, rather it’s silent here, very very silent.’  
‘I like it, I never want to leave; never again. I’ll be good, promise.’ Mycroft started to cry again.  
‘It’ll get better.’ Greg tried to reassure him.  
“No it won’t.” Mycroft sobbed loudly, he screamed when he was shocked, he curled up on the ground hugging his knees as he continued to sob; Greg grunted. ‘Sorry Gregory.’ Mycroft mumbled.  
‘I know Mycroft, it’s just hard for me too. I’m sorry about what is happening to you, you. They warned me not to get too close to you but I couldn’t help it.’  
‘I got into your head, sorry for it. I was just…you are different than the others. You have such kind eyes, you made me want to get to you know, it made me want to talk to you. I didn’t do that before…you are the first. And promise I’ll never hurt you.’  
‘Thanks.’ Greg said hesitantly, Mycroft was silent for a long time. Greg felt that the connection wasn’t ended so he tried to look around in Mycroft’s mind like he did it.  
‘You know we were born on the same day.’  
‘Really.’ Mycroft got up and knelt back to his place.  
‘Yes.’  
‘When will it be?’  
‘Few weeks, you don’t know what day it is?’  
‘No, I only know that it was really cold outside.’  
‘Not that cold yet, it’s only autumn…rather warm one if you ask me. It’s a controlled environment in here, the temperature kept on the same in your cell.’  
‘It’s colder here then outside.’  
‘I know, Dr. M.’s orders.’  
‘Figured. What if I get sick?’  
‘Get medicines, get better.’  
‘Pity.’ he sighed.  
‘You said you got used to it, you said you love living…’  
‘It was before him, I just want this to end. I’m not an animal, I’m a person…not the best, I know but still. I don’t want to live like this.’  
‘I’m sure it’ll be over soon, you are really obedient and you don’t talk.’  
‘When he’ll be back?’  
‘I met him in the morning, he said he’ll be in sometimes during the day.’  
‘Lovely.’ he sighed. ‘I rest till that if you don’t mind.’  
‘Sorry I bothered you.’  
‘Not at all, thank you for talking to me.’


	2. Chapter 2

‘I have clothes again.’ Mycroft said as soon as Greg came in.  
‘Good for you.’ Greg answered.  
‘What’s wrong?’  
“I have reservations about this…I don’t like you being in my head.’  
‘Why?’  
‘You kept the connection open so I had time to look around too…I really don’t want you in my head.’  
‘As you command Sir.’ Greg felt the sadness Mycroft felt.   
‘Mycroft…’ Greg sighed. ‘Mycroft? Mycroft still here?’ but Mycroft left him. Greg turned and saw Mycroft sitting in the corner with his back to him.  
From that point Mycroft didn’t talk to him, not a word. 

“Lestrade.”  
“Sir?”  
“You have the evening shift tomorrow.”  
“Yes.”  
“He will be executed at midnight.”  
“What?”  
“Lestrade!”  
“I’m sorry Sir, it was just…why keep him alive this long?”  
“Don’t question the emperor’s decision.”  
“I wouldn’t dare Sir. My apologies, I’ll get him ready by the time.”  
“I hope so.”  
Greg went to his post.  
‘Mycroft! Mycroft!’ Greg tried to reach him, he gave Mycroft a look hoping he’ll understand. ‘Mycroft please we really need to talk.’ he took his place and tried to reach Mycroft. ‘Mycroft…’ he pleaded.  
‘What? You are bored and want to talk to me now?’  
‘They’ll execute you at midnight tomorrow.’  
‘What?’ Mycroft stood up and walked to the glass.  
‘I don’t know why, I just know it’ll happen. They told me to prepare you.’  
‘This is your way of preparing me?’  
‘No, this is me warning you so you can get away.’  
‘Where would I go?’ Greg felt his confusion and fear.  
‘Anywhere, do you want to die?’  
‘Why?’  
‘What why?’ Greg felt his frustration growing.  
‘Why tell it to me? Why help me?’  
‘I just couldn’t stand by and let them kill you.’  
‘I’m a murderer if you forgot.’  
‘I haven’t forgotten. I’m a soldier, I killed before too. Do you want to leave?’  
‘I want to.’  
‘Okay, just one thing. In return please don’t kill me.’  
‘I wasn’t planning to, promise. Do you want to help or you want to be knocked out and stay here.’  
‘Go away with you? But, I have my siblings, my fiancé…’  
‘You can stay, I’m not going to force you.’ he shrugged but Greg felt that he really wanted him to come.  
‘And how would you survive, you grew up on ancient literature in an underground room. You have no idea what to do, how to act, you know nothing.’  
‘You are right.’ he sighed. ‘I’ll think a bit, be right back.’ Mycroft was pacing for an hour before he connected Greg again.  
‘So I’m going to have a breakdown, loud one; you’ll have to come in and deal with me. I’ll attack the other one…get changed and walk out. You tell me where to hide till you can come after me and we leave.’ Greg shook his head.  
‘Not going to work.’  
‘Okay, give me your phone then, I can hack anything from it. They won’t see what is happening in here or in the corridors…’  
‘And if we meet someone out there?’  
‘I kill them, simple as that.’  
‘Mycroft.’ Greg sighed.  
‘They would do the same to me and to you too. I hope you are aware of that. You offer your help, but think about your family and your life first.’  
‘My family wouldn’t forgive me if I’d step aside and let them kill you.’  
‘But why?’  
‘I can’t honestly tell, I just know that I have to do this…’  
‘You will regret it.’  
‘If you are as clever as you say and get us out of here then I won’t.’  
‘All right. Your phone then; I can open any door with it. I just need some different clothes to get out of here.’  
‘That is easy, if we get to the changing room, we have an easy way out.’  
‘You can still say no. I won’t kill you.’  
‘We go to my grandparents old house in the outskirts of the city…’ Greg ignored him. ‘You stay there till I collect a few things...then we leave. You think you can manage?’  
‘I think so.’ he answered hesitantly.  
‘I know it seems dangerous and scary; it’ll be dark, there will be drunk people, animals, beggars, vehicles and a lot more that could and will scare you. You have to try not to kill anyone.’  
‘Okay, I get it. Thank you.’  
‘I get you my phone in with your dinner, I hope...I have to get it from the container…we have to leave it outside, but I think I can manage.’  
‘You are clever Gregory, I’ve seen it, you can certainly manage. Thank you very much.’ Greg left and returned after a while. Mycroft ate in silence and then settled like he was reading but he was furiously tapping on Greg’s phone behind it.  
‘What about your fiancé?’ Mycroft broke the silence.  
‘I had second thoughts to be honest, he’ll be fine…’  
‘You think he’s cheating on you?’  
‘Yes…well I’m sure of it to be honest.’  
‘Then why marry him?’  
‘He is rich.’ Greg whispered. ‘I’m not, I’m alone with my siblings.’  
‘Don’t scared to leave them alone?’  
‘I made sure they are fine in case something happens to me…after the first day I got really scared so I made the needed preparations. I wouldn’t leave otherwise.’  
“Sorry to destroy your life.” Greg turned towards the voice, Mycroft was standing next to him.  
“It might be better for them.” he shrugged. “Cameras?”  
“They are showing us as before…hurry.” he headed for the door. They were luck that the corridor was empty.  
“Dinner time for everyone.” he whispered.  
“Lucky them.” Mycroft mumbled. Greg hurriedly showed him to the changing room.  
“Quickly.” he gave them clothes and he got changed too. “Come on Mycroft.” he stepped closer. “Your life is awaits.” he opened the door, Mycroft followed him hesitantly. Greg felt how terrified he was. “It’s dark, but that is good. Not a lot people on the streets, not a lot of vehicles…I’m here and I look after you.”  
“We are not related.”  
“We don’t have to be, in order to help you.” he shrugged. “Mum always said that I’M a kind heart, she didn’t understand why I stayed in the military. She said killing isn’t for me…she wanted me to be a doctor or something where I can help people…that is my destiny according to her.”  
“It is written after all.” Mycroft mumbled.  
“What?”  
“Nothing Gregory, thank you so much again.”

 

“I started to worry that something happened; but then I saw where you were…”  
“You were in my head?”  
“Everyone is looking for us, we have to leave quickly.”  
“Why looking for you?”  
“They are not that stupid.” he chuckled. “First you need to get changed.”  
“Again?”  
“Yes again, it’s warmer…we’ll be out in the woods for who longs how long. I’m sure you are hungry, but we need to go, we’ll stop once we got far enough.” Greg put down the bags.  
“Thank you. Where are we going?”  
“Out to the forests for starters…then we might settle in somewhere, new country…if we get through the border.”  
“You’ll have to teach me a lot.”  
“I know; at least I won’t be bored. Ready?” Mycroft nodded. “This is for you to carry.” he gave him a back pack. “Before you say, mine is the heavier. Let’s go then.” he looked around and carefully stepped out. “We won’t stop for a long time, okay?”  
“I never exercised.” Mycroft whispered.   
“We have to go till you can.”  
“I do my best.”  
“It’s cold out, but I hope I gave you enough clothes.”  
“It was warmer a few weeks back.”  
“Yes, we are really close to winter now. It’ll get worse. Also we have to be very quiet.”  
‘That I can do.’ Greg heard Mycroft’s voice in his head.  
“I…I’m still a bit hesitant about this mind talking thing.”  
“Why?”  
“Kidding, you can jump into my head any time you want.”  
“You can block me.”  
“How?”  
“Build a wall.”  
“That simple?”  
“Yes, try it.” they walked in silence for a while. ‘You closed me in Gregory.’ Greg stopped and laughed.  
“Sorry Mycroft.”  
“I stay in my head.” he whispered.  
“Thanks.” Greg led the way in silence, they stopped twice to rest and eat a little. It was late in the afternoon when he suddenly felt really exhausted, like he couldn’t take another step without dropping dead. He turned and looked at Mycroft who tried to look back at him with a strong determined gaze.  
“You should have told me that you are tired.”  
“You said we have to go as far as we can.”  
“I know, but we have to walk for days, there’s no point in exhausting yourself on day one.” Greg looked around. “We sleep behind those.” he pointed at the rocks up on the hill. Greg stepped closer to Mycroft. “If you allow me I take you up there, you are too tired.” Mycroft blinked with confusion. “What I mean that I’ll carry you there. If you allow me.”  
“I don’t understand.”  
“I have to touch you for that, you said you never been touched only when they beat you. I will not do that, promise.”  
“Okay, I trust you.” Greg felt Mycroft’s fear and uncertainty, he tried channelling some calming thought to him. “Now...” Greg stepped even closer. “One of my arms will be under your knees the other around your back and I want you to wrap your arms around my neck.”  
“Okay.” he whined when Greg picked him up.   
“You weight nothing.” Greg held him tightly, Mycroft rested his head on Greg’s chest as he climbed up. Greg felt like he was carrying a small terrified bird, Mycroft was trembling in his arms but by the time they got up, he stopped with it. Greg looked down at him and smiled at the sleeping Mycroft. “There.” Greg whispered as he put him down, Mycroft immediately curled up, he didn’t even wake. 

A sharp pain in Greg’s leg made him stop, he turned back and looked around for Mycroft. “Where are you Mycroft?” he mumbled.  
“Gregory!” he heard his weak whine.  
“Mycroft?”  
“Down here.” Greg looked down the side of the trail and spotted Mycroft on the bottom of the valley looking up at him miserably. “I’m so sorry, I slipped.”  
“Just stay there.”  
“No, you’ll fall too.”  
“Then try to climb up slowly, really slowly.”  
“Okay.” Mycroft started to crawl up, he cried out when he put weight on his left leg, Greg felt it too, he tried to set up a quick wall so he won’t have to feel everything, not entirely succeeding with it.  
“Careful Mycroft.”  
“I try.” he whined and slowly but he got high enough for Greg to reach him and pull him up.  
“I’ve got you Mycroft.” he tightly held him as Mycroft shook from the sobs. “Shhh, shhh…I take you further. I try to find a place where we can sit down and look at your leg.”  
“Okay.” Mycroft whined. Greg picked him up and looked for a place where they’d be sheltered from the wind and the snow.  
“This will do for now. Now your leg…not broken at least. Just a long cut. I bandage it up quickly.” he reassured Mycroft who looked at him with tear filled eyes.  
“Just leave me here.” he whispered.  
“Why?”  
“I’m…I can’t do this, I’m a mess, a disaster…they’ll catch you because of me.”  
“Mycroft, you’ve never been out, you never walked this much, you are tired you don’t know what to expect…of course you make mistakes, there might be more. But you’ll learn and you’ll be as normal as me. Promise. Now we need to go.” Mycroft tried to stand up. “No, no; I carry you.” Greg picked him up.  
“Are you sure?” Mycroft buried his head to Greg’s scarf.  
“Yes Mycroft.” Mycroft remained silent during the day. “Okay, we stop for now, I’m tired.” Greg found a place sheltered by trees. He collected more branches to quickly build something for them. He leaned down to check on Mycroft. “Oh no, no, NO! Mycroft…Mycroft.” he placed a hand on his forehead, Mycroft cried out and crawled away from him. “Sorry.” Greg whispered and tried to reach him with his mind.   
“It’s just me Mycroft.” he reassured him, Mycroft just whined in response. “You are sick, you have a fever, I have to see you, I have to touch you in order to do so.”  
‘Okay.’ he heard Mycroft’s response in his head, the walls crumbled and he also felt Mycroft’s pain.   
“Good lord Mycroft, why didn’t you say something.”  
“I was out all day long.” he whispered.  
“Not good, not at all.” Greg unwrapped the bandage, Mycroft’s leg was swollen, angry red. Greg cleaned the wound with snow as well as he could and bandaged it again. “Drink this.” Greg poured water for him, Mycroft drunk it eagerly.  
“Just leave me here.” Mycroft whispered. “I know you are thinking about what you should do.”  
“I’m not leaving you. We just have to get out of here, find a place where I can get you proper medicine.”  
“No…”  
“I have no other choice.”  
“But why?”  
“You talked to me, you chose me no one else; you trusted me enough from day one to reveal it to me. You trusted me with this secret, your own memories, thoughts and feelings and now with your life. I’m not going to abandon you.”  
“Thank you.” Mycroft was already drifting off.


	3. Chapter 3

Mycroft opened his eyes and looked around the room. He was in a bed and he spotted Greg sleeping next to him. “Gregory.” he tried to speak but only a coughing fit came out of him, it woke Greg.  
“Mycroft!” he sat up. “You’re up.” Mycroft nodded. “You are safe, promise…you are already much better, your leg is getting better day by day.”  
‘Still have it?’ Mycroft’s voice was really weak in Greg’s head.  
‘Well of course.’ Greg answered the same way with a smile. ‘Sorry I had to touch you a lot.’  
‘It’s okay.’  
‘Here drink.’ Mycroft drunk the water, he just realised how dried out he was. “Slowly My, slowly.”  
“Thank you. Where are we?”  
“Small village, the doctor took us in.”  
“Really?”  
“Yes.”  
“Why?”  
“Why not…he was worried about you.”  
“He doesn’t know?”  
“Unfortunately he does, they already searched the village, but he hid us; he didn’t give us up.”  
“Why?”  
“I’m not sure, I can’t read his mind.”  
“Can I say something Gregory?”  
“Sure.”  
“Me neither, only you…I was as surprised as you, I just played that I wasn’t.”  
“Well, it’s strange.”  
“It is.” he whispered. “It really made me scared, all of your memories, emotions and thoughts in my head! I got used to it now, I can control what I see and hear and feel. Not when I’m really upset or tired…”  
“Go back to sleep, you still need to rest.”  
“When will we go?”  
“When you are well enough.”  
“Where?”  
“We’ll figure. Now sleep.”  
“Thank you Gregory, I promise I find a way to repay your kindness and sacrifice.” Greg smiled at him and shook his head.

‘One follows the other;  
One follows the other until the road ends.  
The road ends and you ain’t surprised,  
Because you don’t deserve to survive.’  
“Seriously!” Greg caught Mycroft just in time.  
“Sorry, I try not to fell again.”  
“Not that My, the poem you composed.”  
“You heard it?”  
“Yes.”  
“I’m sorry…”  
“You are not an animal, you are a person and you do deserve to live.”  
“Do I?”  
“Yes.” Greg sighed. “Back to bed with you.”  
“No, no I have to practice.”  
“You did enough for today.” he picked him up and put him back to bed. “You seem less shocked by me touching you.”  
“I started to get used to it, only you. Whenever Doctor Watson touches me, I feel like I want to jump up and run away.”  
“He doesn’t cause you pain because he wants to, it’s just the process of cleaning and bandaging the wound.”  
“I know that.” he whispered. “Still I hate when he touches my forehead checking for fever. I start to shake, I feel nauseous, I start sweating, chills running down my spine.”  
“I’m sorry about that…you think he has bad intentions and that is why you react like that?”  
“No, he would have sold us out days ago, if that was the case. I still can’t understand why didn’t he.”  
“Because my son’s best friend is your brother.” Doctor Watson came in.  
“Sorry Sir.” Mycroft mumbled.   
“My son would never forgive me if I’d give you up.”  
“What is his name?”  
“Sherlock.” he gave him a strange look.  
“I never met him, I only know that I have a brother, not his name or how he looks like. I saw my father regularly and I had a picture of my mother. That’s all…I don’t think he knows that I exist.”  
“Now he does.”  
“No!”  
“Why?”  
“He’ll try to find me, and they’ll follow him and take me back and kill Gregory!”  
“And you Mycroft.” Greg added.  
“Doesn’t matter.” he mumbled.  
“Sorry.” the doctor said.  
“We have to leave now Gregory.” Mycroft tried to get up.  
“Now?” Greg caught him before he fell.  
“Yes at this instance!”  
“Where are you running brother mine?” a smug looking, curly black haired boy was standing at the door. They looked nothing alike except the eyes.   
“They followed you!”  
“No one followed me, no one knows I left the city, not to mention the palace. It’s fine, I’ve been doing this for years.”  
“But now they are all looking for us!”  
“Why?”  
“Because of the prophecy.”  
“What prophecy?”  
“You don’t know?”  
“Nope.”  
“Oh…”  
“Come Mrs. Watson made carrot cake, it’s really good. We sit down and you talk.” he already ran down the stairs.  
“Okay.” Mycroft sighed. “Story time. Gregory would you be so kind and help me down?” he whispered.  
“I intended to, but I think you should rest first.”  
“No, better get it over with.”  
“So this means we are friends?” he smiled at him.  
“Why?”  
“You said you’ll tell me once we got to be friends.”  
“Oh, yes…we are friends I hope. I’d love that.”  
“We are.” Greg nodded and made his way down the stairs.  
“He made sure that I know it by heart, don’t ask me why.” Greg put him to the chair, he sat closely to him so he could catch him in case he fells.  
“Who?” Sherlock asked curiously.  
“Our father.”  
“John! Come here, I found my brother!”  
“I know that.” the blond boy came and sat next to him.  
“Story time.” Sherlock said enthusiastically.  
“Your brother is exhausted, are you sure this is a good idea?” John looked at him with worry.  
“Yes, he’ll disappear by the time I get back. Now, talk!”  
“I’m not going to recite the whole thing, it brings up bad memories I don’t want Gregory to…” he trailed off.  
“What?”  
“Nothing, sorry.” he mumbled.  
“Why pause.”  
“Just give me a second please.”   
“Fine, a second.” Sherlock chuckled. “Talk!” Mycroft sighed knowing he won’t leave him be.  
“Basically the boy born on my birthday turning eighteen will start the chain of events which will destroy the false ruler of the land so the true king can emerge.”  
“False? But father isn’t the false ruler!”  
“Sorry Sherlock, but he is. I read up on it.”  
“They let you read about that?” Greg cut him off.  
“Ancient history; that was allowed. It happened so long ago, that no one would hope for a rightful heir to emerge.”  
“Is there one? Why didn’t I learn about it? Why ran away?”  
“I’m turning eighteen in a few days; weeks?” he looked at Greg questioningly.  
“Already did Mycroft.” Greg answered.  
“Really?” he nodded. “They wanted to execute me when the day got closer, I was only kept alive because of mother. Gregory warned me and helped me get away.”  
“I don’t believe you!”  
“Please don’t tell him that I’m here. Please…I don’t want to die.”  
“I’m not going to.” he said after a while. “I’m going to research it.”  
“Be really careful.”  
“I rather suggest you don’t do that.” Greg shook his head.  
“I can look after myself.”  
“Still, I think it’s stupid.”  
“Why?”  
“Because it’ll only draw attention to you.”  
“He never cared what I read.” he shrugged. “Get out of my head!” Sherlock stood up the chair falling to the floor.   
“Mycroft.” Greg took his hand.  
“I’m so sorry, I just tried it.”  
“Ask before trying, I told you no one likes it when you snoop around their head.”  
“But it’s only Sherlock and you.”  
“We’ll find out why. Now the story times ends, Mycroft need rest.” Greg picked him up. “It was nice meeting you Sherlock.”  
“Make him rest, I could feel his exhaustion.”  
“Of course.” Greg willed himself to walk up since he also felt Mycroft’s exhaustion and put him to bed.  
“Mycroft.” he opened his eyes. “I want to talk to you.” Greg lay next to him to the other side of the barrier they built from pillows so he won’t touch Mycroft accidentally.   
“What is it?”  
“I…maybe it’s better to show you.” Mycroft saw Greg on his eighteenth birthday arguing with his father, who ran off and never came back; Greg’s mother died; Greg got further and further on the ranks, then there was the first time they met. Mycroft opened his eyes and looked at him questioningly, Greg handed him a ring.  
“Where did you get this?” Mycroft held it with shaking hands.  
“It was my father’s.”  
“Do you know this crest?” he nodded.  
“I spotted it on the binder of one of your books, so you know it too.”  
“The Lester dynasty…wiped out, or I thought.” he examined Greg’s face. “I can see the resemblances.”  
“It’s just…I might be over thinking.”  
“Not at all. We have to go back, I need the library.”  
“You can not go back without risking getting murdered.”  
“I have to, I told you I want to repay your kindness and this way I can.”  
“No, please. I just want to live in peace, I don’t want anything…certainly not a country.” Greg felt that something changed with Mycroft.  
“Mycroft?” he asked hesitantly.  
“Yes?”  
“What is it?”  
“What is what?”  
“Something isn’t right, I feel it.”  
“Oh, I’m just terribly tired.”  
“I let you sleep then.”  
“Thank you.” he mumbled.

 

Greg woke up and found the bed empty.  
“For God’s sake.” he jumped up and ran downstairs. “Mycroft!”  
“What’s wrong with him?”  
“Missing.” he whined. “Idiot boy, he knows nothing; he knows nothing…I told him there is no need for any of this.”  
“What?”  
“Idiot, he’s going back to the capital.” he was already running upstairs. He quickly packed up, got dressed and ran back down. “I’m really grateful for everything, truly. I have to go after him, I have to stop him. Thank you for everything.”  
“Well of course…come back once it’s settled. Good luck and be safe.” the doctor walked him out. Greg started to run back on the road, Mycroft wasn’t good in walking he really hoped to catch up with him.  
‘You are really loud Gregory!’ he stopped suddenly hearing Mycroft’s voice in his head.  
‘Where are you?’  
‘Left.’ Greg turned and spotted Mycroft waving at him from the trees.  
“I’m really angry at you, you are an idiot! I told you to stay put.” he hurried to him.  
“I just want to help.”  
“This is not helping. Come on, we need to leave the country right now.”  
“I have to do this.” Mycroft smiled at him. “This is my destiny.”  
“No, forget that stupid poem!”  
“It’s a prophecy, it’s true. I have to go and do this.”  
“Do what?”  
“The poem as you called it talks about a friend who has to die in order to fulfil the prophecy. At first I thought that is you so I agreed to leave, but now I know that’s me. I know how I can help you, this is what I have to do.” he smiled at Greg.  
“No way, I do not allow you that…NO!” he took Mycroft’s hand. “We are leaving the country…no dying on my account, I don’t want the crown, I don’t want the country. You are not dying like this.” he started to pull him backwards.  
“No Gregory, please let me go, please.”  
“No way.” Greg picked him up.  
“Put me down!” he yelled and struggled in his arms. “Gregory…” he whispered as he slowly drifted off.

“Where are we? What have you done to me?” Mycroft woke up.  
“I made you shut up, I’m getting better in getting into your head.”  
“Where are we?”  
“On our way to the border.”  
“But…”  
“I’ll take you away, I don’t care about anything else.”  
“You should.” he stood up.  
“Sit back you need to eat.”  
“I don’t…”  
“Shut up!” he yelled. Mycroft sat back, Greg could feel his fear. “I’m sorry Mycroft.” he sighed. “I’m truly sorry, please don’t be scared of me.” he nodded, not looking at Greg. “Did you hear me?”  
“Yes.” he whispered.  
“Do you understand what I said?”  
“Yes.”  
“Then why are you shaking?”  
“I’m sorry, I try not to.” Greg knelt in front of him.   
“I’m terribly sorry Mycroft, honesty.”  
“I know.” he pulled up his legs wrapping his arms around it.  
“I just want you to live happily, in peace, at a place where you feel safe. That is all I want for you.”  
“Thank you.”  
“You can look around in my head, I really don’t want to rule over the country. Trust me?”  
“I do.” Mycroft looked up.  
“Thank you, now eat please.” he smiled at him. “We have a long way ahead of us.  
“Okay.”

“We have to climb today Mycroft.” Greg shook him awake when it got dark.  
“Are we close?”  
“Yes, we can’t use the proper crossing so we’ll climb. It’s raining and dark so it’ll be harder, but hopefully we can cross unobserved.”  
“I think I can manage, there was no problem with my leg so far.”  
“If something is wrong tell me and then I carry you.”  
“I’m heavy.”  
“Not at all, do not worry. I’ll do everything to get you to safety.” he put a hand to his knee. “Everything Mycroft.”  
“Very kind of you.”  
“You’ll have countless of opportunity to repay it, I know you are already trying to find something.”  
“Now how is snooping around?” he smiled. “Thank you. I’m ready, we can go.”  
“Let’s go then.”

“Gregory…” Mycroft’s weak voice made Greg stop. He himself was tired, cold, soaked to the bone; he reached down for Mycroft pulling him up further.  
“I didn’t know this will be so steep…”  
“And muddy.”  
“Well that I suspected with the rain comes mud.”  
“It’s kind of fun. I never touched mud before but also makes me feel dirty and it’s heavy to move in it, getting everywhere…I think I have mud in my pants too.”  
“I know the feeling.” Greg sighed. “I’m glad you are enjoying it, but we better hurry.” he grabbed Mycroft’s coat and pulled him as he continued to climb the mountain.  
“Couldn’t we rest when we get to the top?” Mycroft asked hopefully.  
“If you wish to get sick again, then yes.”  
“I don’t.”  
“In that case we need to get to some dry and warm place as quickly as possible.”  
“So no stopping.”  
“Sorry.”  
“Okay.” he sighed, Greg had an idea.  
“Mycroft, I show you something, okay?”  
“What?”  
“Just, let me.”  
“Okay.” so Greg thought about the hot summers as he played outside with his brothers, he thought about eating delicious meals, swimming around the lake, anything happy and warm he could thought of.  
“Please stop.” Mycroft whispered. Greg turned to look at Mycroft.  
“I’m sorry, I thought…” he hesitantly pulled Mycroft closer wrapping his arms around him as he sobbed. “Shhh, shhh, I’m sorry Mycroft…I’m so sorry. I thought you can go further if you feel warm and happy.” Mycroft continued to cry in his arms, Greg felt that he was really uncomfortable with him having his arms around his body, with Greg stroking his hair. “You know what am I doing?” Mycroft shook his head. “I’m hugging you, you heard of that.”  
“Read.” he mumbled.  
“So this is a hug, I have my arms around you to show you that I’ll protect you, that I’m here for you, that I care for you…and I stroke your hair because mum always did that to me when I was sad.” Greg could feel Mycroft’s emotions changing, making him sob even more desperately. “It’s going to be all right Mycroft, promise. We are suffering now so you can have a calm, safe, normal life.”  
“And you?”  
“Me too; with you.” Greg continued to stroke his hair. “I promise you Mycroft, promise.” Greg trailed off, he collected all his strength and picked Mycroft up carrying him further.


	4. Chapter 4

“We made it Mycroft.” he sighed. “We made it. That is a town…there must be a hotel.”  
“I don’t have money.” Mycroft mumbled and collapsed to the ground. “How far it is from the border?”  
“Not that far, but not the first town. We’ll leave once we rested.”  
“And live from what?”  
“No worries I have money, I collected everything I had.”  
“Your family?”  
“Not theirs, I always kept theirs aside in case something goes wrong.”  
“Goes wrong?”  
“Yeah, I had some not so…legal deals.” he cleared his throat.  
“Gregory?”  
“We needed the money.” he mumbled.  
“I can understand.” Mycroft nodded.  
“We can live off it until I get a job. Now…” Greg picked Mycroft up, he felt that he couldn’t take another step.  
“And me?” he whined from the unexpected touch.  
“Once you learn to act properly then you can look for something too. They don’t like if you act strangely.”  
“Won’t we have problem with speaking the language?”  
“Nope, once we were one country...”  
“Oh, I read about it.”  
“Good. Now we go in, try not to test your mind reading on anyone.” Mycroft chuckled.  
“That I can promise.” Greg stepped in.  
“Oh dear!” the receptionist sighed seeing them covered in mud.  
“Evening Ma’am; we got lost during hiking.”  
“Room it is.”  
“Yes.”  
“You want dinner too?”  
“That would be nice.”  
“Okay, put him to the chair, I can clean up the mud later.” Greg put Mycroft down and checked themselves in, he took the key and then Mycroft.  
“Up we go again.” he sighed wearily.  
“I’m sorry Gregory.”   
“Only second floor.”  
“Really cute establishment.”  
“It is and we get warm dinner too.”  
“Oh, I’m hungry.” Greg chuckled.  
“I know, it’s hard being hungry for two. But first we get the mud off us.”  
“Sorry.”   
“Can you stand?”  
“I think so.” Greg put him down to open the door.  
“We are lucky you know; there is no extradition between the two countries. Even if they heard about them looking for us, we are safe here.”  
“This is why you brought me here?”  
“One of the reasons.”  
“But what if they hearing about us, close us up here!”  
“We are seeking asylum, try to…we tell them the truth and hope for the best. There was a few cases in the past when one fled here. The king had enough of them and the only thing remained to run, they came here. The news said horrid things about them, but as far as I know no one got imprisoned here.”  
“How do you know that?”  
“There were interviews with them.”  
“And you believe it? They can manipulate it, everything can be manipulated.”  
“My, please calm down. I promised I’ll take care of it and I’ll do that exactly.”  
“Thank you.” Greg pulled Mycroft to the bathroom and started to get the muddy clothes off him. He felt that Mycroft went very still.  
“Sorry.” Greg stepped back. “I just wanted to help.”  
“I know, sorry. I’m just hungry, thirsty, tired, my legs hurt...”  
“I know Mycroft.” Greg sighed.  
“Oh, I did it again.” he nodded. “Sorry.”  
“Now will you let me help or you can manage on your own.”  
“I need help.” he whispered, so Greg stepped back and got the clothes off Mycroft helping him to the tub.  
“Do we have soap?”  
“No need, see those bottles, shampoo and shower gel.”  
“Lovely.” Mycroft sighed when the warm water hit his body. “Oh this is so good.” Greg chuckled. “What?”  
“You are purring.”  
“I’m doing what?”  
“The sound you give out is just like purring.”  
“I’m not a cat.”  
“No, of course you are not.” Greg smiled. “You are starting to look like a man again.”  
“Did I look like an animal?”  
“You looked like a mud monster just like me. You are not an animal, I know it’ll take time to recondition you, but I’ll tell you a thousand times if it’s needed.”  
“Thank you.”  
“I wash your hair too.”  
“Good.” he smiled and leaned towards Greg, he just shook his head with a smile. “You are smiling Gregory.”  
“I have a child.”  
“Sorry, I can finish.”  
“No need…” he chuckled. “I don’t mind.”  
“Thank you.” Mycroft yawned.  
“You are ready.” Greg wrapped a towel around him and took him to the room. “I leave the drying to you. Put on the robe, I wash our clothes and see if anything stayed dry…which I doubt. But first, I need to wash the mud off myself too.”

“Ahhhh, so much better.” Greg sighed coming out of the bathroom. “Oh, you figured out the tv.” Greg sat next to Mycroft on the bed. “Mycroft?” Greg frowned, he reached for the controller and turned it off.  
“Gregory…” he whispered shakily.  
“I know Mycroft, I know.” Mycroft leaned to Greg.  
“It’s so much.”  
“You’ll get used to it, you’ll learn everything. I’m here you can ask your questions and I’ll answer everything as best as I can…Promise.”  
“I…I…I can’t even compose my questions now.”  
“No rush; you can always ask them.” Mycroft sat back. “I see what clothes we have.” Greg packed out the bags. “Wet, wet and wet.” he sighed. “I try to dry them with the hairdryer, so we can go down to eat. After that I wash our muddy clothes.”  
“How long we’ll stay?”  
“Two or three nights; or till I figure where to go and you can rest.” Greg started to dry their clothes.  
“Gregory?”  
“Yes.”  
“It was just the news, but…” he trailed off.  
“You’ll get used to it; promise.”  
“When can we go to eat?”  
“Sorry I still need time.”  
“Can’t I go down like this?” Mycroft asked hopefully, Greg smiled at him.  
“You already know the answer.”  
“I do.” Mycroft curled up and breathed in the smell of the washing detergent.  
“This smells so good.”   
“Now you smell well too.” Greg chuckled, Mycroft smiled as he ran his fingers on the patterns of the linen.  
“I will get used to this, I won’t appreciate it…just like others.”  
“Not sure about that.” Greg put to the bed the clothes that were dry already.  
“Luckily it dries easily…tomorrow I go to the village shop and get a few things.”  
“Can I go?” he sat up excitedly.  
“Well, I don’t want to leave you alone but also it might be a bit much for you.”  
“I stay and you can talk to me.”  
“That might be the best, for now.”  
“But in the other hand I have to start somewhere, I have to get used to it. I have to learn to shop.”  
“We’ll see in the morning, deal?”  
“Deal.” Mycroft nodded.  
“Ready.” Greg got dressed after a while. “Come, we can have dinner now.”  
“Will there be people.”  
“Yes. The lady said there’s a group staying here, they’ll be down most likely.”  
“I never had cutlery.”  
“I know that, I think you can manage with a spoon.”  
“They will look at me strangely.”  
“No one will look at you, everyone will be absorbed in their food and their table company.”  
“Okay.” they got down to the dining hall. Greg got them a table in the corner.  
“We can see everyone coming in here and we are hidden by the column.”  
“Thank you. Gregory…I…I should have told you before but I saw our picture in the news.”  
“I figured.” he sighed. “I told you we are safe here.”  
“The police aren’t going to talk to us?”  
“We will.” a voice startled them.  
“Oh, I hoped we can eat first.” Greg sighed.  
“We can.” he sat down and asked for another plate from the waitress.  
“My name is Greg Lestrade.”  
“I know.” he nodded.  
“Mycroft Holmes.”  
“That too. Peter Smith.”  
“What did they say about us?”  
“Traitors.”  
“Oh, that is better than I thought.” Greg chuckled, Mycroft looked at him with wide eyes.  
“What’s wrong with him?” the police chief pointed at Mycroft.  
“He was closed to a cell since birth; I helped him get away before they could execute him.”  
“Why would they?”  
“No one really knows. His father is the king, what he says happens.”  
“Is he?”  
“Yes.” Mycroft leaned closer and pulled down his shirt. “He burned the crest into me when I was six, and a few more times.” he pointed at different points of his body through the shirt. “I don’t think others would appreciate if I’d get undressed here.”  
“So you came here to be safe.”  
“Yes, to work and live a normal life.” Greg answered.  
“You can not leave the town.”  
“Understood.”  
“Tomorrow, first thing in the morning you come down to the station we have some questions and maybe papers to settle.”  
“Maybe?” Mycroft asked.  
“It depends on our conversation.”  
“And what if we don’t get closed up?”  
“Then you’ll stay here, come in regularly for checkups, you have to find a job and show that you want to be a useful part of the society. If I hear one bad word about you two…”  
“May I interrupt Sir.” Greg put up his hand hesitantly.  
“What?”  
“This is the first time Mycroft is in the outside world. It’ll take time for him to get used to everything…to act as normal as anyone else.”  
“I take that into consideration…but no one said you can stay.”  
“Thank you Sir.” the first course was put to the table. “Spoon.” he gave it to him, the police chief looked at them with a frown. “He wasn’t allowed to have cutlery.” to Greg’s relief Mycroft managed pretty well.  
“I learn fast.” Mycroft looked at him with a smile.  
“That is good.” he nodded.  
“What is it?” Mycroft asked looking at the policeman’s expression; Greg cleared his throat.  
“You remind me of my son, he is four years old though.”  
“Oh…” Mycroft’s smile disappeared.   
“But you know much more than a four years old Mycroft.”   
“What? I can’t lace my shoes, I had problems with buttons, I…I…”  
“You know everything from chemistry, physics, you know the whole law book by heart, you know more from medicine than Dr. Watson, you know all the plants, what they need same with the animals. You have every map in that big brain of yours…You know so much, you just have to learn simple things too.”  
“Okay.” he whispered.  
“Sorry if I hurt you.” the chief mumbled.  
“It’s okay, not the first time.” he shook his head.  
“Why?”  
“I was abused physically, mentally…when I met Gregory I had to act as a dog. I couldn’t stand up, couldn’t talk, I was naked, they fed me dog food.” Mycroft put down the spoon.  
“This is not that Mycroft, it’s a really delicious and warm soup. Please eat.”  
“Okay.” he picked it up again and continued to eat.

“Gregory.” Mycroft woke Greg.  
“Yes My.”  
“Sorry to wake you.”  
“No, no…” he yawned. “Talk to me.”  
“So we can stay here?”  
“We have to, we can’t leave the town without permission. But at least no one wants to close us up.”  
“They won’t hand us over?”  
“No, told you.”  
“I’m like a child…” Greg knew that he started to cry. “I saw how you were at four…I know even less.” Greg was surprised that Mycroft snuggled to his arms.   
“Hug?”  
“Please.” he sobbed.  
“You learn really quickly, you learned a lot in this day; little more time and you’ll know more than anyone in the village.”  
“Town.”  
“Yes, sorry.” Greg stroked his hair.  
“What are we going to do here?”  
“Work.”  
“What?”  
“I ask what prospects we have tomorrow.”  
“How long it is till I have to act normal?”  
“No time constrict Mycroft, everyone just wants you to get better.”  
“He doesn’t.”  
“I can assure you that he too wants to help. Everyone has a different personality…you just have to know that and don’t get disappointed if you have difficulties…”  
“I’m sorry, I can’t follow you now.” he mumbled.  
“You are exhausted Mycroft, better sleep now.”  
“How many times I have to tell it?” he whispered.  
“What My?”  
“The story of my life, they wanted to know and see everything.”  
“You told them?”  
“And showed the scars.”  
“I don’t think you’ll need to tell it again. They have a record of it.”  
“They took pictures too.”  
“I see.”  
“Good night Gregory.” he mumbled.  
“Night Mycroft.”

 

‘Don’t do anything Mycroft!’ Greg kept repeating it to Mycroft in his head, hoping he’ll listen to him. ‘Don’t hurt anyone, don’t…we won’t be safe here if you kill them. Please don’t do anything…’ He was laying on top of Mycroft, covering him and trying to protect his own head from the hits. They were woken and dragged to the street in the middle of the night. Then the beating started, they were hit with whatever the assailants found. Soon the world went black in front of Greg.

Greg came around and immediately reached out for Mycroft. He could feel that he was terrified, in pain, cold. Greg opened his eyes and looked around to find him. He was in a cell at the police station. “Mycroft!” he tried to sit up. “Mycroft.”  
“Just stay down.” someone stepped to him.  
“Mycroft?”  
“Under the bed.”  
“Why?”  
“Don’t ask me, we couldn’t even look at his injuries. There’s no doctor in town, but an ambulance is coming…it just takes time.” Greg turned to his side with a grunt, every part of his body ached. “You should stay put.”  
“Mycroft.” he looked down. “Mycroft…please come out.” Mycroft was curled up with his back to him, only whining. “Please, you are safe here, the door is open, we are not arrested…” he looked at the officer who shook his head. “We are just here because they can look after as till the doctor gets here.”  
“I’m not…I’m not an animal. I’m not a puppy, I’m a human…I’m a human named Mycroft…”  
“Of course Mycroft. He is coming to take care of our injuries after the beating. Nothing more, promise. It’s not him, it’s not him…I’ll be here with you all the time, just come out.” Mycroft slowly crawled out.   
“He looks better, you shielded most of it.”  
“Good.” Greg smiled at Mycroft.  
“Gregory.” he whispered sitting close to Greg.  
“Please Mycroft let…”  
“David.” the young officer answered to Greg’s look.  
“Let David look at you.”  
“You?”  
“I would do it, if I could Mycroft.” Greg tried really hard to stay conscious.  
“Mr. Lestrade, you have to stay awake.” David sensed that something wasn’t okay with Greg. “Greg! Stay awake, talk to Mycroft…he needs you to talk to him.” Mycroft scanned Greg with worry.  
“Gregory.”  
“I’m here My…I’m here…” Mycroft turned to the door with fear hearing footsteps.  
“Okay, David you go with him to the hospital. Not that he’ll run off.” the chief ordered him. “You stay with me.” Mycroft shook his head.  
“Why?” he asked with frustration.  
“He can manage, he can stay.” Greg mumbled.  
“No.” Mycroft whined.  
“Yes My.” Greg said before he was taken away.  
“I…I need Gregory, I need him…I…I can’t…I can’t…” he was hyperventilating.   
“Good gracious.” he sighed. “Close the door before he runs off and get my wife here.” Peter sighed.  
“No! NO! I don’t want to stay here…not again. I’ll behave, I’ll be good.” he fell to his knees. “I’m good, I’ll be whatever you want, I’ll do whatever you want…just let me out.” he whined.  
“Please stay quiet.” Mycroft fell silent. “Thanks.” he sighed. Mycroft knelt in the middle of the cell silently sobbing on his own.  
“Hello.” a woman came in smiling at him warmly. “My name is Jenna, what is yours?” Mycroft shook his head. “You can talk?”  
“I can.” he whispered.  
“Good.” she opened the door and sat in front of him. “What is your name?”  
“Mycroft.”  
“Nice meeting you. I heard your friend is in the hospital, are you all right?” he shook his head. “What’s wrong?”  
“I don’t want to be here, I need him, please let me out of here.”  
“You can come out.” she smiled and offered her hand to help Mycroft up from the floor.  
“Where are we going?”   
“To our place, you’ll stay with us till Gregory gets better.”  
“Where?”  
“It’s really close, we have a room for you. Come dear.” she tried to help him up but Mycroft moved away from her.  
“I don’t want to.” Mycroft whined but finally gave in and left the cell. “I…”  
“I know Mycroft, but we just want to help, nothing else.” she guided him out to the office space, Mycroft looked around with terror and tears in his eyes. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” she held him close. “Just the next house, promise.” they went out to the night. Mycroft first thought was running away. “Please don’t run away, Gregory won’t stay put in the hospital in that case and now he needs to rest, really rest.”  
“Okay.” Mycroft whispered finally.  
“Thank you.” she took Mycroft to a room. “This is your room, hungry? Thirsty?” Mycroft curled up on the bed not answering. “Good night.”

“Mycroft, you should get up.” Mycroft just turned to his other side pulling the blanket over his head.  
“Up young man.” the blanket was pulled off his head, Mycroft buried his face to the pillow. “I don’t care, you get up, eat, take a shower and I might take you to Greg.” Mycroft sat up.  
“Gregory.”  
“Call him whatever you want just get up. You don’t want to act like my son, am I right?”  
“No.” he whispered and got up.  
“Bathroom is next door, after that come down to the kitchen.” Mycroft nodded.  
“Mycroft, did you drown?” he knocked on the bathroom door after a long time.  
“No.”  
“What is it then?”  
“Coming.” he came out. “Sorry.”  
“What were you doing?”  
“Taking a bath.”  
“This long?”  
“Water is so warm.” he rolled his eyes. “I only got cold water.”  
“Anything else new to you?”  
“Everything, cars, food, clothes and…”  
“Okay, come and eat.”  
“Thank you.” he followed him down looking around, examining his surrounding carefully.  
“No one will jump at you.” he turned when Mycroft screamed. “What happened? Oh…” he chuckled seeing his son examining Mycroft with curiosity. “My son James, this is Mycroft.”  
“Hi, do you want to play?” Mycroft backed away from him.  
“Maybe later James, Mycroft needs to eat and then we have to go.”  
“Okay.” he ran away.  
“Don’t be scared of him.” Mycroft didn’t move. “Jenna, could you come here?”   
“What is it?”  
“Mycroft is scared of James.”  
“No need, come.” she took his hand and pulled Mycroft to the kitchen.  
“He just appeared, why is he so small?”  
“He is just four.”  
“Oh, yes…now I remember. Sorry.”  
“Couldn’t sleep? Too warm or cold? Not comfortable enough?”  
“No Gregory.” he whispered. “I haven’t slept away from him since I’m out. I always knew that he was there and he will protect me.”  
“No one wants to hurt you here.”  
“They did.” Mycroft whispered and started to eat. “They…I could have hurt them, I could have killed them all, but Gregory told me not to.”  
“What?” Peter frowned.  
“I killed before.” Mycroft whispered. “When someone wanted to hurt me.”  
“Hurt how?”  
“Kill me, rape me…” he fell silent when the little boy ran in. “I don’t hurt people without reason. Promise. I didn’t hurt them, I did nothing to them. I promised Gregory.”  
“I see.”  
“Please don’t close me in, please.”   
“I wasn’t planning to.”  
“Really?”  
“Promise. Finished?” Mycroft nodded. “Then let’s go and see Greg.”  
“Please.” he got up and followed him to the car. “Oh…” Mycroft stopped. “I’ve never sat in a car.”  
“Another new thing for today, come.” Mycroft sat to the car. “Scared?”  
“A bit…really.”  
“No need.” he got in too. “Much quicker this way.”  
“I know. How’s he?”  
“I don’t know, sorry.”  
“Thank you Sir. I’m sorry if I scared your family.”  
“Jenna is stronger then she looks, she’s not that easy to scare.”  
“I’m sorry never the less. I will not hurt them, promise.”  
“I know.” Mycroft tightly hold onto the handle as the car started.  
“This is so fast.” he whispered.  
“Not at all, we are still in a settlement. There are limits…”  
“I know about that, or it depends how much it changed in the last few decades.”

“Gregory.” Mycroft whispered and sat next to him on the bed.  
“Hi Mycroft.” he smiled at him. “Are you all right?”  
“I am, thank you. The chief let me stay with them.”  
“Very kind of him, he wants to help Mycroft, nothing more.”  
“Why do you say that?”  
“Because you were up all night long.”  
“I’m sorry.”  
“What for this time?”  
“I…I don’t know.” he mumbled. Greg pulled him down to the bed.  
“Come here.” he wrapped his arms around him. “Behave well, I’ll be out soon and we can decide what to do next.”  
“How bad it is?”   
“Nothing that can’t be cured with rest and time. Promise you I’ll get better soon. Promise.”  
‘Can I talk to you while I’m away?’ Mycroft asked in his head.  
‘Okay.’ Greg sighed.  
‘Still not too happy about me in your head.’  
‘Sorry My, but it’s not easy to get used to. This supposed to be the place where I’m not judged, where no one knows my secrets, fears and you can see everything…’  
‘I’m not judging you.’  
‘Thanks, but still, it just adds to my anxiety.’  
‘Why are you anxious?’  
‘Why are you?’  
‘Fair point. I try, but I really don’t like being away from you…there is so much I don’t know about.’  
‘Ask them, they’ll answer…maybe better than me.’  
‘Doubt.’ Greg chuckled.  
“Now rest a little.” Mycroft closed his eyes, snuggling to his arms, Greg stroked his hair.  
“The child is really weird and scary.” Greg chuckled.  
“He is not, there is no need to be scared of him.”  
“He asked if I want to play.”  
“And?”  
“I froze.”  
“No need, I know you never played but it’s okay to do so. Kids aren’t judging you, they are open minded, they approach the ones they like…he likes you.”  
“Is it good?”  
“Yes.”  
“If you say so.”  
“You’re just tired and in pain Mycroft, you should sleep and eat and then you’ll see that he’s not scary.”  
“Okay…can I sleep here?”  
“I’m sorry, but he only brought you in for a quick visit. Once you get back, you can and should sleep. You can connect me if something bothers you, or you have questions, but I’m sure they answer them too. They’ll protect you My.”  
“Okay.”


	5. Chapter 5

“So this is it.” Mycroft sighed, being glad that he could put the bags down. “Home, sweet home.” Greg smiled at him.  
“It’s very nice, like from a fairy tale.”  
“It is charming.” Greg nodded. “A tour?”  
“Please.”  
“Kitchen, pantry, dining room, living room, upstairs are three bedrooms and bathrooms, oh and there is one down here.”  
“That much?”  
“Yes. Why don’t you go up and chose your room and I pack the food out till that.” Mycroft went upstairs.  
‘Can I really choose?’ Greg heard his voice in his head. He got used to Mycroft suddenly jumping to his head.  
‘Yes, whichever you want.’  
‘Okay…done.’  
‘Which one?’  
‘The one looking to the mountains.’  
‘That is so small!’  
‘I like it because of that and the view and it has a bathroom.’  
‘All of them have. We have sun panels so you can bathe as long as you want.’  
‘How did you manage to get this place?’  
“With help and a loan.” Greg went up too.  
“Oh…”  
“No worries Mycroft, we’ll be fine.”  
“Okay…are you sure? Things can go bad and…”  
“Nothing will go bad Mycroft, promise. Packing out?”  
“No, I want to see the rest.”  
“Let’s go then. How are you about animals?”  
“I want to see them…I don’t know more...I never actually see any animal…”  
“Let’s see them.” Greg took his hand and lead him out of the house. “We have sheep and a cow…and a few piglets and of course chickens.”  
“Wow…that is a lot.”  
“And there are the fields.”  
“It must have been a fortune.”  
“No; actually it was a bargain.”  
“Something is fishy then.”  
“The owner died and the heir had no interest in farming, only getting rid of it quickly.”  
“Then lucky us.”  
“Indeed, also we are lucky because he’s a relative of the chief and he was kind enough to help persuade him to choose our offer.”  
“Very nice of him, why?”  
“Why help us?” Mycroft nodded. “Because he had enough of collecting you from wherever you ran to hide, and to speed up or integration to the community…or he said. I think they like you, and he just wanted to help. He was really helpful before…”  
“Me?”  
“Yes, you. You are the poor, traumatised, cute, adorable genius. Everyone you met likes you so far.”  
“How could you tell?”  
“It was enough to look at them, also the way they talk to you.”  
“Can it be learned?”  
“What?”  
“How to recognise emotions, what the features, body language means…how to react.”  
“It can be learned, for you nothing is impossible.”  
“So I can have a normal life?”  
“That is the plan. Full with happiness and hard work…there will be sweat and tears and misunderstandings and more…I hope you know that.”  
“I know it’s not a fairy tale.”  
“No.”  
“But already better than before.” Greg smiled at him.  
“Piglets? They are really cute.” Mycroft smiled at the little piglets. “You can pet them.” Greg picked one up but Mycroft didn’t take it from him.  
“Cute.”  
“Scared?”  
“A bit…it’s another living creature…I don’t know. What was that?” he jumped back when something brushed against his leg; Greg chuckled.  
“Cat, it’s already gone. If we feed them, they’ll stay and come closer. Now, back to the piglets.” Greg put it to his arms, Mycroft whined.  
“Take it back, take it back.” he pleaded, Greg pitied him and took it back from him.  
“I just…what am I supposed to do with him? He can’t understand me, I can’t…”  
“You know everything about them.”  
“Those are just facts.”  
“Which are really useful for our future.” Greg put the little pig back.   
“We’ll eat them?”  
“Few; sell a few more…and the chicken…” he led him to them. “We’ll sell eggs and also eat them…and hopefully have a few baby chickens we can sell too.”  
“And the sheep?”  
“Wool, there are also the flowers...they said there are lot. The vegetables we most likely keep, but we have an orchard so we can sell fruits too.”  
“Why is everything about money?”  
“Not everything My, we just need it to buy food and clothes, to pay back the loan, to pay the bills...”  
“Okay, okay.” he sighed.  
“I know you need time to get used to it.”  
“I do, sorry.”  
“It’s okay.”  
“I think I’ll pack out now.”  
“What is wrong?” Greg frowned.  
“I don’t know…”  
“May I?”  
“What?”  
“See what’s wrong.”  
“You want to look around?”  
“If you allow me.”  
“I don’t know to be honest.” he mumbled and went upstairs. Greg followed him and didn’t let him close the door.  
“Sorry.”  
“I’m scared.” Mycroft sunk to the bed.  
“You are not alone My…I’m scared too.” he sat next to him. “But together we’ll be able to do this. I’m confident in our abilities. I dared to buy it because I know how much you know about animals and plants.”  
“So you rely on my knowledge.”  
“Basically.”  
“You know nothing of this.” he waved around.  
“Not much.”  
“Oh dear…”  
“We have time to learn, I mean we have time before we have to start planting anything.”  
“But the animals are here already!”  
“And? You know what they eat, what they need, am I right?” Mycroft nodded. “See, we’ll be perfectly all right.”  
“If you say so.” he sighed.  
“You trusted me before, trust me now too.”  
“We could have stayed in town…”  
“Where you were terrified? Here are no neighbours, no cars, no crowd…better for you.”  
“And what about you?”  
“Me? It doesn’t really matter.” he shrugged.  
“I saw you read the notice board, several times to be honest.”  
“Not that he’d hire a traitor.”  
“You are not one.”  
“They don’t really know that My.”  
“You want to be a policeman, I don’t need to read your mind to see it.”  
“I’m fine here.” Greg got up.   
“Why not do that then?”  
“Because I need time away from people too. Pack out, then come down to eat.” he left him.

 

“Gregory!” Mycroft yelled. “Gregory please help me!” Greg felt the panic Mycroft was feeling. He came out and started to laugh so hard his tears fell.  
“Don’t laugh, please help me.” he whined. Greg walked to the tree and picked up the puppy.  
“Come down Mycroft.”  
“Is it secured?”  
“Yes, don’t worry.” Mycroft climbed down. “Remember we were talking about getting a dog, here it is.”  
“It just appeared here.”  
“I know, stray puppy…I think we should keep him.”  
“It’s black and scary.”  
“No, look at him, he has an adorable face. He’ll lick you to death, nothing more. Am I right?” he looked down at the wiggling puppy in his arms. “Take him.” Mycroft stepped back, Greg shook his head with a chuckle. “Come, we have to bathe him.”  
“Okay.” Mycroft followed him in a distance.  
“You promised you’re going to help around the animals, you promised you’ll get used to it.”  
“I try and I already helped…”  
“Yelling at the sheep from the window doesn’t count.” Greg chuckled.  
“You wanted me to move to this farm.”  
“Need I explain it to you again?” he took a bucket and poured warm water in it. “Could you get the soap?”  
“Sure.” Mycroft gave it to him.  
“Hold him down please.”  
“Me!” he whined.  
“You; he might want to jump out.” he lowered the dog to the water, but to Mycroft’s relief he loved it.  
“He likes it.”  
“Just like you.” Greg smiled.  
“You compare me to a dog.” he whispered.  
“No Mycroft, sorry. I just say you like to spend hours in the tub.”  
“Why else we have warm water than to enjoy it?”  
“I have no problem with it, we have the sun panels after all.” Greg reassured him. “So what should we call him?” he dried him with a rag.  
“Toby.”  
“Welcome home Toby.” Greg smiled at him.   
“Hello little monster.”  
“My…”  
“He attacked me!”  
“Really? What did he do?”  
“Running towards me, giving out some sound, wiggling his tail…”  
“He wanted to play with you.” Greg let go of the dog and it immediately ran to Mycroft. “He likes you, animals can tell who is a good person.”  
“Me?”  
“Yes you are. Now come down from the kitchen table and get friendly with him.” Mycroft glanced down tightly clutching the side of the table. “Please My.”  
“I’m brave and strong.” he mumbled as he put his legs down. “I’m not a scaredy kitten, he just wants to play.” Greg chuckled. “It’s wet!” he whined.  
“Well of course.”  
“Gregory! Toby tasted me!”   
“It’s not that, he shows that he loves you.”  
“Me, why would anyone love me?” he awkwardly petted the little dog.  
“Why not?”  
“I mean…I know nothing, I make lots of mistakes, I’m scared of everything.”  
“That doesn’t mean no one could love you. You already learned a lot, you’ll learn even more. Once you get to know the things, you’ll realise that there’s nothing to be scared of.”  
“I told you he was tasting me!” Greg turned and saw Toby on his back munching on Mycroft’s hand playfully.  
“Does it hurt?”  
“No.”  
“He’s just a puppy, he’s playing.”  
“Back to the topic; last week when we went to the market…”  
“When you disappeared?”  
“Yes. You were so good with people, you talked and laughed and flirted…”  
“Flirted?”  
“Yes.”  
“No, no.” he laughed. “No…”  
“But?”  
“You still need to learn about people My.”  
“But you and that young woman?”  
“I was selling the flowers to her, nothing more.”  
“Why?” he frowned when the dog settled in his lap.  
“She is not my type.”  
“But you dated women too, I saw it; sorry about that.”  
“I did, but she is not my type.”  
“What is your type?” Greg rolled his eyes. “Why the eye rolling?”  
“Figure it out.” Greg left.  
“Don’t leave me alone with it!” Mycroft yelled after him.  
“Did you survive?” Greg came back after a while.  
“Yes.” he whispered. “Toby is sleeping.” Greg smiled feeling that Mycroft slowly started to fall in love with the little dog.  
“He will be an outside dog.”  
“Okay.”  
“I’m just saying, he’s not sleeping in your room.”  
“What if he feels lonely, he is so small…”  
“He has to get used to it.”  
“Will you train him kindly?”  
“What do you mean by that?”  
“No shock collar, whips…”  
“Jesus! You really think I’d do that?”  
“I hope not.”  
“No! You can believe me.”  
“They did that to me.”  
“I know and I’m really sorry for that, but I will not do that to you; never. Nor to Toby. You can train him if you want to.”  
“Me?”  
“Well of course. You said you want to help…it’ll take time. We need to teach him to herd too.”  
“Shepherd dog?”  
“I’ll need the help.”  
“I’m here to help! I’m ready, I’ll do anything.” Mycroft stood up forgetting about the dog. He sat on the ground and whined. “Sorry, I’m sorry Toby.” he knelt down and petted him. “Sorry.” he licked his hand making Mycroft sat down with a serious look. Greg felt the change in his mood immediately.  
“Talk to me.” he knelt down.  
“I…I’m just like Toby. I made him fall and he still licked my hand…I’m a puppy, Dr. M was right.” Mycroft’s tears started to fell. “I’m nothing more just a dog.”  
“No Mycroft.” Greg took his hands. “Not at all.”  
“But…”  
“They wanted you to believe it, they wanted you to feel like this. But you are nothing like an animal. You are a strong, independent, clever young man.”  
“Rather a child.”  
“Nope.” Greg smiled at him. “I can promise you that, remember when we went to see the chief?”  
“When he offered you the job? I told you; even he sees how clever you are.”  
“Don’t get off topic Mycroft.”  
“I remember, I remember.” he mumbled. “So why not accept the job?”  
“I can’t leave until you learn to manage the farm alone. I already found someone to help out, but still I don’t want to leave everything to him.”  
“This is what I can do for you.” he smiled. “For you Gregory!”  
“Thank you.” Greg squeezed his hand.  
“Let’s go Toby.” he got up and headed to the door. “I’m going to be a farmer and you my helper.” Greg looked after them with a smile.


	6. Chapter 6

“Sir.” Mycroft stood hesitantly in the doorway.  
“He’s not back jet Mycroft, come in.” Peter looked up from the computer.  
“I…I wanted to talk to you about something. I don’t know who else to talk to about this…maybe you are not the right person for it…I shouldn’t have come.” he stood up.  
“Sit back young man.” he looked at him sternly.  
“Yes Sir.” he sat down.  
“Talk, please. You know I help if I can, in whatever you need.” he smiled at him.  
“I…When I first met Gregory, I realised how beautiful he was, he then told me that it is not abnormal to love men instead of women.”  
“You love him.”  
“I think so, I don’t know.” he sighed. “I read books on psychology, so it’s maybe just some kind of attachment because he rescued me, he gave up everything for me, he didn’t let me to go back and prove that…never mind that part. He did everything for me, everything and I’m really grateful for that…but I also have different kinds of feelings...I can’t really describe them, but it’s like butterflies in my stomach when he smiles; I anxiously wait for him to get home, I want to spend hours and hours talking to him, I want to touch him…” he didn’t dare to look up at him.  
“Why not talk to him?”  
“I wanted to ask if it’s…if I could, or I should just ignore it.”  
“Talk to him.”  
“I…I’m scared.”  
“A year ago you were scared to come to the town on your own, but here you are.” he smiled at him. “What the worse that could happen?”  
“He sends me away.”  
“Would he?”  
“Yes.”  
“Mycroft, he gave up everything for you, you really think he’d just put you to the streets?”  
“Yes.”  
“Oh dear…” he got up and sat next to him taking his hands. “Gregory cares for you deeply. He was reluctant to take the job because of you; he made me promise if you need him, he can leave in the middle of the day to be there for you. He wouldn’t part from you. Have I mentioned therapy to you before?”  
“Yes.” he mumbled. “Don’t like him…”  
“Because?”  
“It’s…I don’t want them in my head.”  
“It’s not like that.”  
“I don’t want to remember!” he yelled. “I don’t! Please don’t make me!”  
“You not necessary need to talk about your past; you can talk about your current fears, confusion, feelings.”  
“I don’t care.” he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Maybe.” he mumbled.  
“There are others in the next town, you can go if you find someone you trust.”  
“I’ll think about it. Thank you Sir.”   
“I’m happy to help, truly Mycroft.”  
“Goodbye.” Mycroft left his office and was met by a confused Greg.  
“Gregory.”  
“I felt that you’re here, what happened?”  
“Nothing, I just came to walk you home.”  
“I write my report and we can go.” Mycroft sat in silence till Greg finished.  
“Home we go.” Greg smiled at him.  
“I want to talk to you Gregory.”  
“Okay? You want to move?”  
“No, you want me to?”  
“Not at all, it was just the first thought that jumped into my mind. Don’t ask me why…sorry. Are you happy here My?”  
“I feel well, yes.”  
“But not happy.”  
“I am happy Gregory, promise.”  
“I forced you to be a farmer…”  
“I honestly love it, you can see for yourself if you don’t believe me.”  
“I’m glad, you know you can tell me if you don’t want to do this anymore.”  
“Thank you.”  
“So what do you want to talk about?”  
“I…I came down so I can talk to the chief. He said I should talk to you about this…Oh how to say it.” he sighed.  
“Simply say it out, it’s quicker that way.” Greg scanned him, Mycroft looked Greg in the eyes.  
“I love you.” it was much harder to say out then he thought, he felt pressure on his chest, he was trembling, started to sweat, he blinked rapidly to keep back his tears.  
“Mycroft, Mycroft!” Greg called his name and caught him right before he passed out. “My dear Mycroft.” Greg lowered him to the ground. He stroked his hair, till Mycroft regained consciousness. “Hello My.” he smiled down at him.  
“I’m so sorry.”  
“No, no…” Greg stroked his hair. “I have something to tell you too. Remember I told you to figure out what my type is?” Mycroft nodded and slowly sat up. “Well it is you Mycroft. I love you too.”  
“Really?” Greg smiled.  
“See for yourself.” Mycroft chuckled and kept wiping down his tears.  
“I thought you’ll kick me out hearing it.”  
“I’m sure Peter told you that I’d never do that.”  
“He tried, I was too nervous.” Greg chuckled and took his hand.  
“Let’s go home love.”   
“Yes, home.” Mycroft smiled back at him.

“Hallo.” Greg picked up his phone.  
“I had to call an ambulance for him.”  
“Anderson talk sense!” Greg stood up.  
“He wasn’t up in the morning, I took care of everything and went to check on him. He was in bed, high fever, barely breathing…I didn’t know what else to do.”  
“Thank you.” he was already out of the station.

“I don’t like when you ignore my calls Lestrade.” Peter looked at him angrily when Greg finally turned up on his doorsteps.  
“I’m sorry Sir.”  
“Are you all right?” his expression changed when he looked at Greg more carefully.  
“No…” he wiped off his tears.  
“Come in.” he pulled him in. Greg was seated and a mug put to his hands. “Drink it. What happened Greg? Where were you?”  
“Hospital.” he whispered finally.  
“Are you sick?” he shook his head. “Mycroft?” Greg nodded and kept wiping his tears. “Really bad?”  
“They said there is a really tiny chance of him surviving.” he whined. “Flue…and then the idiot walked down in the cold last night, of course he got pneumonia too. I forgot about the flu shot this year. It’s my fault.” he buried his face to his arms.”  
“It’s not Greg.”  
“I brought him out to the world…he wasn’t ready for it.”  
“You saved him.” Jenna came to the kitchen.   
“What happened?”  
“Mycroft got really sick.” Greg sobbed.  
“Oh dear.” she sat next to Greg wrapping her arms around him. Greg hugged back sobbing to her shoulder. “It’s okay, they are trying everything to make him better.”  
“I can’t lose him.”  
“I know, I know.”  
“I love him.” she looked at her husband questioningly.  
“Mycroft came to talk to me about it. I suggested he talk with Greg.”  
“I see.” Greg snuggled to her arms. “Dear, dear.” she stroked Greg’s back.  
“We got away so he can live and now this!”  
“No one would think about the shots and you immediately took him to the doctor to get them…You knew that he needs them, you get him vitamins and take him to checkups all the time…”  
“I have no idea what am I doing.”  
“You do.”  
“They told me this will happen…he gets me to my head and…and ruins my life.”  
“Is he running your life?” she asked softly.  
“If he dies, yes…it’s not fair.”  
“He is still alive Greg.”  
“Barely.” he whined.   
“Come on Lestrade.” Peter pulled him up. “To bed with you, you need sleep.”  
“I better go back to the hospital.”  
“And do what? Cry there?”  
“I’m not crying.”  
“Greg please.” he led him up to the guest room and put him to bed. “Now listen to me very carefully Greg.” he sat next to him. “He is in good hands, there is no need sitting next to his bed torturing yourself. This isn’t your fault, anyone can get sick, yes he has a weaker immune system, but that is not your fault. Please understand this. I know you don’t want to lose him, no one wants to…I don’t want to lose him either. He is like another son of mine, you too. So I’m begging you listen to me and try to calm down, sleep and tomorrow I go with you in the morning and see how he is. Then we come back and work, that’ll help to distract yourself.”  
“Okay.” he mumbled and curled up.

“Gregory.”  
“Not now Mycroft.” Greg’s head shot up. “Jesus!” he jumped up. “I can not believe you, why can not you stay put!” he was yelling.  
“I was scared.” he whispered.  
“Scared! You are still not well and you walked here…”  
“I took the bus.”  
“You are still very sick.” Greg took him by the elbow. “Sir, may I take him back.” he dragged him to the office.  
“What on earth is he doing here?”  
“Being and idiot.” Greg mumbled.  
“I better take him back, you shouldn’t drive now.” Mycroft was silently sobbing next to him.  
“Thank you, Mycroft…” he turned to him. “Oh, please don’t cry.” Greg pulled him to a hug. “I know you are scared on your own, but you really need to stay in the hospital, you need the medicine, you need to be looked after.”  
“Will you come and see me?”  
“Every day, before and after work, promise.” he kissed his temple. “Promise My.”  
“Promise?”  
“Yes love.”  
“Come Mycroft. When did you wake up?” the chief took his elbow so Mycroft could lean on him.  
“In the morning…” he helped him to the car.  
“And why not stay?”  
“It’s scary.”  
“Why?”  
“It reminds me of how it was. They used similar instruments…it brought back everything. I was tied to a bed, in pain, they burn me, cut me, I was drugged, the stuck things down my throat…There were tubes and syringes……I just wanted to get out of there…so I did. Is Gregory really mad at me?”  
“No, he is worried for your wellbeing. He was really worried all this time, I had to take him home with me several times because he wasn’t in a state to be left alone.”  
“Thank you for looking after him.”  
“Sure thing.”  
“I think I sleep a bit.” Mycroft mumbled.  
“Do that dear, do that.”

“Didn’t you lose something?” Jenna called his husband.  
“I did…Mycroft ran off when I woke him.”  
“He is really sorry for everything.”  
“Found him?”  
“James did.”  
“Good, good. Tell him that it’s okay, that it was my fault.”  
“What happened?”  
“He was asleep and I wanted to carry him in, but he woke and got scared. He struggled, during it he hit me and then ran away. It was really nothing.”  
“But how you ended up with him?”  
“Mycroft woke up, he got scared and took the bus home. Greg was too anxious to let him drive so I brought him back.”  
“I’m taking him back to the hospital.”  
“Meet you there.”

“I’m so sorry, really sorry.” Mycroft mumbled when he spotted him.  
“I know Mycroft, it was my fault.”  
“No, it was me.”  
“Not your fault.” he squeezed his shoulder. “To bed with you young man.”  
“Gregory?”  
“He’ll come to see you after work. I didn’t tell him about this.”  
“Thank you.” he settle under the covers. “It would just make him angrier.”  
“He is not angry Mycroft.”  
“Then what?”  
“He is worried for you, really worried.”  
“Why?” he mumbled.  
“Because he loves you and cares for you deeply.”  
“Really?”  
“Yes.” he sat next to him. “He ran away leaving his family behind to be with you, to make sure you are safe and happy.”  
“He regrets it!” Mycroft sat up.  
“Why would he?”  
“I took him away from his family.”  
“As I heard you offered him to stay.”  
“I did, but he said I won’t survive on my own.”  
“See, he cared about you even back then.” he stroked his hair.   
“I ruined his life, they were right. I ruin everyone’s life; I’m a monster.”  
“You are not, not at all.”  
“He had to give up everything…”  
“He is happy, he has friends, he is loved and supported by you, he can do what he loves. He wanted to be a policeman for a long time…if it wasn’t for the promotion he’d leave the military and become one.”  
“Promotion.” Mycroft snorted. “Becoming my next victim.”  
“Do you have victims since you left?”  
“I’m sure.”  
“Tell me.”  
“You.”  
“Nothing happened to us, no one complained of you. Everyone talks fondly of you.”  
“They like me?”  
“Yes, very much.” he whispered.  
“Why?”  
“Because…”  
“I’m like a child; people are programmed to protect their young.”  
“No, not at all. You are helpful, kind, respectful, you are honest…”  
“That doesn’t always help.”  
“It’s the right thing to do. And no one needed to teach you that, you knew it from day one. You are a good person Mycroft…believe me.”  
“But…”  
“Please.” he stroked his hair. “Jenna will stay with you till Greg gets here.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Me too! Me too!” James climbed to the bed. “We can play!”  
“Mycroft needs to sleep now dear.”  
“Why?”  
“Because I’m tired, but you can accompany me and when we wake up, we play. Deal?”  
“Deal.” he settled to his arms, Mycroft buried his face to his hair and immediately fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Mycroft woke up to barking, he peaked out of the window but it was still too dark to see anything.  
“Could you wake me up more gently?” Greg sat up after he shook him violently.  
“Toby is barking.”  
“I can hear that.”  
“You think someone is out there?”  
“Here? Who would come here at this hour? Come back to bed love.” he yawned.  
“What if?”  
“You want me to go and check it?”  
“Shouldn’t we?”  
“No.” Greg stood up and pulled him back to bed. He wrapped the blanket around him when someone rang the bell.  
“Someone is here My.” he got up and headed downstairs.  
“Told you so.” Mycroft followed him, he picked up the hunting rifle.  
“The gun?”  
“We might need it.” he whispered.  
“Who is it?” Greg asked.  
‘Who do you think?’ Mycroft heard his brother’s voice in his head.  
“Sherlock? Are you alone?” he asked both loudly and in his head.  
“Nope.”  
“Who is with you?”  
“John.”  
“Open the door my dear.” Sherlock and John were standing on the doorstep. “What did you do to Toby?”  
“Nothing.” he was wiggling his tail licking Sherlock’s hand.  
“Toby!” Mycroft said warningly, he whined and went back to his place. “He never did this; come on in quickly.” they stepped to the house.  
“Tea?” Greg asked.  
“Please.” they collapsed to the kitchen table.  
“I put it on Gregory, could you make the bed for them.”  
“Will you be fine in one bed?”   
“Sure.” Greg disappeared.  
“A farmer?” Sherlock took the mug from Mycroft.  
“It’s secluded, peaceful and safe; Gregory is a policeman now; I can manage the farm on my own…I learned it.” Mycroft realised that this wasn’t the time for family reconciliation. “Why are you here?” he asked turning serious.  
“I looked up a few things. I had to be careful, sneaking out and around got harder since you disappeared.”  
“Still looking for me?”  
“Yes.”  
“After all this time!”  
“He’s really scared, the security around him and in the palace is insane.”  
“How did you got out? They followed you!” he stood up, soon Greg appeared feeling Mycroft’s fear.  
“What’s going on?”  
“I got out without them noticing it.”  
“I’m sure they are missing you already.”  
“Most likely.”  
“Where did you cross the border?”  
“Border crossing.”  
“Idiot!”  
“I masqueraded myself, also we have fake papers.”  
“Still.” he grabbed Greg’s hand tightly.  
“Why; no one saw you cross?”  
“No, we climbed through the mountain and forests…in the rain.”  
“Oh, how bad is for you.”  
“Sherlock; how did you find us?”  
“It was easy to figure which way you’d go, then we asked around. Lucky for us you are here…there might be something behind this connection thing because I felt that we have to come here.”  
“And they told you?”  
“I asked for a strange, shy, pale redhead and an already gray haired, very warm brown eyed charming, confident young men. And they simply directed us here, even like that it was hard to find you. They referred to you as the Lestrades.”  
“We got married.”  
“What? You are away for a few years and, and…”  
“I’m older than you.”  
“I know, but…”  
“Congratulation.” John spoke, every eye jumped at him like they already forgot about him being there.  
“Thank you.” Greg smiled at him.  
“Why are you here Sherlock?” Mycroft asked again.  
“I’m not sure, it felt like I had to find you, now…”  
“Tell me!”  
“Things turned bad. People are starving, the military is the priority now, some factories were transformed to produce everything needed for war…No one wants that. You have to come back…”  
“And do what?”  
“Stop him!”  
“How? Why? I moved, I’m happy here…I can’t…I don’t want to.” he mumbled stepping backwards.  
“A war would affect your little paradise too. Soon these lands will be soaked in blood! You must do something.”  
“Why me?” Mycroft whined.  
“The prophecy says you can bring him down! I know he is my father too, but he went mad. Please Mycroft for the future of the country collect your courage and come back home.”  
“I have to think!” he ran upstairs.  
“I talk to him.” Greg reassured him, he felt Mycroft’s fear and sadness, his uncertainty, he wanted to help but…there was the but. “Want something to eat?”  
“No, thank you.”  
“I show you the room.” he led the boys up. “Good night.”

“My.” he wrapped his arms around the crying Mycroft. “I know my dear.”  
“I don’t want to lose you.” he whined.  
“I know.”  
“It says that I have to die, I don’t want to…I want to help but I don’t want to lose you. I love you so much.” he clutched his arm.  
“I know Mycroft. Me neither…I don’t want to be alone sitting on the throne. I need you.”  
“You don’t.”  
“I really do.” he kissed Mycroft. “You should sleep.”  
“I have to think.”  
“Not tonight.” Greg whispered.  
“Don’t do that to me, please.” Mycroft whined as his eyelids got heavier and heavier.  
“I’ll be here My.”

Mycroft opened his eyes, Greg was looking down at him with tired eyes.  
“You were up all night long.”  
“I wanted to make sure that you slept well.”  
“What do you think I should do?”  
“You know already.” Mycroft sighed and nodded.  
“You want me to stay and look after the animals and you go with my brother.”  
“This way you’d stay alive.”  
“And you?”  
“I’ll be fine, it’s not me who’s dying according the prophecy.”  
“You can still get hurt.”  
“I will not, don’t worry.” he stroked his hair.  
“But…”  
“Promise. Come on, we have a lot to do.” he kissed Mycroft.

“So are you coming?” Sherlock staggered down yawning.  
“Gregory is, I’m staying.”  
“Why?”  
“Because…Gregory!” he yelled.  
“What?”  
‘What if we were wrong and you are the one to die.’ he said so the others couldn’t hear it.  
‘You are never wrong love.’  
‘But what if this time I am; you go and die and noting will be changed.’ Greg stepped to him and cupped his face, smiling at Mycroft warmly.  
“It’s going to be all right, promise. We can still talk, you can come and rescue me if needed.”  
“You’d be dead by the time I get there.” he whispered.  
“Promise I’ll wait for you.” he kissed him.  
“I can’t allow this!” he yelled. “I’m going too.” he looked at Greg sternly. “Talk to Anderson, he needs to take care of the farm while we are away. I’m taking Toby with me.”  
“My…” he sighed, but Mycroft already disappeared.

 

‘Gregory.’ Greg heard Mycroft’s tired voice in his head.  
“Boys we have to stop for now!” he called after Sherlock and John who was several steps ahead of them.  
“Why?”  
“Because we need to find a place for the night, we need to eat too.”  
“Mycroft is tired.” Sherlock sighed. “Again.”  
“Sorry brother mine.” he whispered.  
“Marriage made you comfortable.” Sherlock sighed dramatically and pointed up the hill. “We could set up camp somewhere on the other side.”  
“Agreed.”  
“Can he walk up?”  
“I can Sherlock, I’m really sorry for the inconvenience.”  
“Don’t apologise to me, apologise to the country and the people.” Greg felt how much Sherlock’s words hurt Mycroft.  
“Can you manage?” he whispered to him.  
“I can. Toby, here! Good boy.” he hold Greg’s hand and climbed the hill with his help.

‘Gregory.’ Greg almost drifted of when he heard Mycroft’s voice in his head.  
‘What is it love?’  
‘Will you take good care of Toby?’ Greg could feel that Mycroft was crying.  
‘Of course. But the poem said that the friend will die and you are my husband so you’ll live.’  
‘It said companion, it’s the same.’ he tightly wrapped his arms around Greg. ‘I really don’t want to part from you.’ his voice was shaking.  
‘Me neither and you are stupid if you think I will let you die. I will do everything to make sure that you survive this. Promise.’ he kissed his temple. ‘Try to rest, long journey.’  
‘I know and I’m sorry for being so weak.’  
‘You are not weak, I started to be tired too, I’m sure you felt it.’  
‘I did, sorry for peaking.’ Greg stroked his hair until he fell asleep in his arms.

“I’m not staying here!” Sherlock stomped.  
“You are brother mine, someone has to look over Toby.” Mycroft was kneeling in front of him.  
“But you can’t go and sacrifice yourself because of the words of a demented old lady!”  
“You talked with Gregory.” he bowed his head.  
“Yes. I know we don’t know each other that much, but I like you. During this few weeks I got to know you.”  
“Me too Sherlock and because of that, please please stay here and stay safe, don’t do anything stupid.”  
“I try.”  
“Toby needs you, he likes you.”  
“I like him too. But you need me too.”  
“I couldn’t get through it if you are there.”  
“Okay.” he kissed him. “Please come back for me.”  
“I can’t promise.”  
“Please.”  
“We’ll see Sherlock.” he hugged him.  
“How are you going?”  
“Walking.”  
“Why?”  
“Anyone could spot us on the train.”  
“Not if I work on you. Mrs. Watson, do you have old clothes!” he ran to the next room.  
“What is he planning?” Greg poked his head in.  
“Makeover, I do not like the sound of it.”  
“It is a good idea.”  
“I finished the uniforms last night by the way.”  
“I heard it.”  
“Sorry.”  
“No need.” he hugged him.  
“Now sit down we have a lot to do.” Sherlock said in a commanding tone.  
“Yes Sir!” Mycroft smiled and sat down. Sherlock worked for a long time.  
“Put these on.”  
“Sherlock?” Mycroft stared at the clothes his brother gave him.  
“Put it on.” Mycroft went to get dressed.  
‘Gregory, I’m in a dress!’ Mycroft reached Greg in his mind.  
‘Cover love.’ he heard Greg’s chuckle. “Come and show me.” Mycroft went back and stopped seeing Greg.  
“Wow.” Greg broke into laughter. “I have a wife.” he grabbed Mycroft’s waist and kissed him.  
“You destroy my work!” Sherlock detested. “Your train leaves in an hour so you better start packing.”  
“Look into the mirror My.” Mycroft did that, he would never recognise himself, he looked like a woman.  
“I better be mute, I’ll translate the sign in your head.”  
“Okay.” Mycroft went to pack.  
“You can’t go in there.” Mrs. Watson tried to stop him. “Who are you?  
“My brother is good with makeup.”  
“Jesus!” she gasped. “No one will recognise you.”  
“That is what we hope.” he smiled.  
“Bit old fashioned dress. I wore it for some school production decades ago…Sherlock picked it!”  
“It’s fine, we are already strange for coming here when things are this unpredictable; my dress won’t make any difference.”  
“You need to change your voice.”  
“I’m mute.” he shrugged. “It’s easier.”  
“Certainly.”  
“Are you ready Mrs. Lestrade?” Greg came after him.  
“Ready as I ever be.” he smiled. “Mr. Lestrade.”  
“Be very careful.” she hugged Mycroft, he just smiled sadly. “I know, I know…” she wiped down her tears.  
“Thank you for everything, I can’t thank you enough.”  
“Of course, we’ll look after Sherlock don’t worry.” she hugged them tightly.

“Such a lovely couple, may I sit here?” an old lady stepped to them on the train.  
“Of course.” Greg answered.  
‘It’s her!’ Greg heard Mycroft’s voice in his head.  
“It is me.” the lady smiled at them. Mycroft turned really pale, Greg’s eyes jumped between Mycroft and the lady.  
‘I suggest we continue the conversation quietly.’ they both heard her voice. ‘What have you been up to?’  
‘Having a life and now I’m on my way to die.’  
‘So you figured it out.’  
‘Of course.’  
“But we are married now, not friends.’ Greg repeated the thought that he was clutching to since they decided to come back.  
Mycroft took his hand. ‘It’s okay my dear.’  
‘No it’s not. It can be changed?’  
‘No.’ she looked at them sternly.   
‘But…’  
‘I don’t make the prophecy, I just channel it. Although you surprise me…’ she trailed off.  
‘Why?’  
‘He has to die.’ she avoided the question and stood up.   
‘But how am I going to do that?’ Mycroft asked.  
‘You already know the answer.’ she walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

“So, here we are.” Greg sighed, standing in front of the palace. “Now we need to figure out when to get in.” he looked to his left, but Mycroft wasn’t there. He looked around and spotted him walking towards the gate, he took off the dress and make up. “NO!” he yelled.  
‘I love you Gregory.’ he heard his voice and then Mycroft closed him out. Greg had no idea what to do so he simply ran after him, but the door closed in front of his nose. He cursed inwardly and willed himself to think of any secret passage, or less guarded entrances from his time in the palace.  
‘Idiot, idiot, idiot.’ he kept repeating in his head as he paced, trying to figure out what to do next.  
‘Care to stop pacing.’ Greg turned around hearing a voice in his head.  
“Why drag John into this, what will his father say…” he started.  
“He wanted to come, and we have more important things to worry about now, come.” Greg followed Sherlock. “Where is my brother?”  
“Walked in.”  
“I worked for nothing!” he sighed.   
“I can’t talk to him, he closed off entirely.”  
“Yes, yes. He finished the uniforms?”  
“Yes.”  
“Get changed.” he pulled Greg to an alley.  
“And then what?” Greg got changed.  
“Careful, keep the makeup on!”  
“Yes boss, what now?” he asked impatiently.  
“Now we go in.”  
“You’ve been missing for a long time.”  
“I know, you found me with John.”  
“So we just walk in through the gate.”  
“Yes.”  
“Let’s go then.” Greg grabbed their arms. “Do you really want to be here John?” he asked looking down at him.  
“Yes, better look after Sherlock, he’d die on day one without me.” he smiled with determination.  
“Okay boys, here we go.” he pulled them towards the palace. ‘Are you kidding with me Sherlock?’ he tried to reach him. ‘If for nothing else he’ll kill you for bringing Toby.’  
“He wanted to come.”  
“Sure, you should have left him.”  
“Too late.” Greg called the dog closer.   
“Toby.” he looked down at him warningly, he just wiggled his tail. “My dear Toby. Come!” he ordered them and they went in.

“Wait here.” Greg and the boys were showed to a room.  
“Okay, Toby find Mycroft.” he just stared at him. “Toby, where is your master?” he looked around and went to the door.  
“What are you doing?” Sherlock enquired.  
“Finding my husband.” he opened the door letting Toby out.  
“This way?”  
“How else, we have to wait because your father is with him…I’m sure of that. I’m not going to wait for him to die. Where could they be?”  
“Downstairs.”  
“Have you ever been there?”  
“No, I wasn’t allowed.”  
“Really?”  
“They told me there is a beast down…I was conditioned to be afraid of that place. I’m not going down.” he whispered.   
“I can understand that.” they followed Toby through the corridors, he stopped at a door. “Well they are indeed downstairs.” he sighed. “Go to your room and take Toby with you.”  
“Okay.” Sherlock grabbed his collar. “Talk to me Greg.” they disappeared at the corner.  
‘Could you try and reach your brother?’  
‘If he’s not talking to his husband he won’t talk to me.’  
‘I’m on the stairs, I’ll be down soon.’  
‘How many breaths you took?’ he asked ironically.  
‘You wanted me to talk.’  
‘Sorry, please don’t stop with it.’  
‘I’m down…no one is down here.’  
‘What?’  
‘I mean no other guards, no one.’  
‘Be careful Greg.’  
‘Will be…I’m here.’ Greg opened the door and stepped in with fear. He immediately saw the king in one side of the glass and Mycroft in his cell; none of them moved when he went in. He cleared his throat to get the attention of any of them but nothing changed.   
‘Sherlock, they’re just standing here…Sherlock!’ he yelled when there was no answer. ‘Sherlock answer me now!’ he glanced at Mycroft and his father, they weren’t moving. “Hold on love.” he ran back up to Sherlock’s room.   
“Sherlock!” he opened the door.  
“What are you doing here?”  
“You are okay?”  
“Yes?”  
“I was talking to you and there was no answer, I was worried.”  
“Have you found them?”  
“Yes, they are just staring at each other.”  
“And you just left them there!”  
“I was worried about you, he would never forgave me if I’d let something happen to you.”  
“Can we go down?”  
“Absolutely no. Find a safe place and close yourself in there, please Sherlock. John talk to him!” he was already out of the room, running back to the prison. He stopped and looked through the rooms for a gun which he couldn’t find. He went back they were still as he left them, but Mycroft seemed to be in a worse shape. Greg walked between them, he felt dizzy, his head started to ache. He opened the cell door and went in, he touched Mycroft’s shoulder. “My, Mycroft it’s me Greg.” he stroked his hair, Mycroft’s nose started to bleed; he was shaking. Greg looked at his father, he just stood there like a statue, with a smug smile on his face. Greg looked around for something to use to kill him, he could strangle him, he walked to him wrapping his fingers around his throat. He stopped when saw that Mycroft was suffocating too. “Not good, not at all…stupid old lady! It’s your fault!” Greg went back to Mycroft. “Your fault, you got into my head! You made me fall for you…you…you have no idea how hard it is for me! You only think what is good for others, but you forgot that this will be horrifying and devastating for me!” he whined when Mycroft fell to his knees. He walked around the room with frustration. “I’m sorry love.” he sighed and collected the books. He piled them around the king, left the cell and got the hose from the utility closet and attached to the tap making sure that Mycroft was soaked before he lit the books. He closed the cell door and continued to hose Mycroft down with the water, hoping it will work. Even with the closed door he smelled the burning flesh, he looked at the king, he tried to get out of the pile but some force didn’t let him.  
“Hold on Mycroft, just for a bit longer.” Mycroft was coughing, shaking violently. After excruciatingly long seconds Mycroft collapsed to the ground like his father. The smell was unbearable, Greg quickly put the fire out and knelt next to Mycroft who wasn’t breathing.  
“My?” he shook him, he checked if he had a pulse, but he didn’t have, so he started to resuscitate him. “Please My.” he whispered as his tears were falling. “Please, please…do not dare to leave me! Come on, your brother needs you, I need you, Toby is missing you.” Mycroft started to cough. “Oh god.” Greg sighed with relief. “My.” he sobbed and wrapped his arms around him. “My, My…” Mycroft looked at Greg.   
‘What have you done?’ Mycroft was too weak to speak out loud.  
“It’s over love and you are alive again.”  
‘Again?’  
‘You had no pulse, you weren’t breathing.’ Mycroft started to cough. ‘I take you out of here, close your eyes.’  
‘Why?’  
‘Just do it, please.’ he picked up Mycroft. ‘Sherlock!’ he tried to reach him.  
‘What happened?’  
‘Get me a doctor, someone has to look at Mycroft.’  
‘He’s alive!’  
‘Yes.’  
‘Father?’  
‘Sorry Sherlock.’  
‘I see…I get the doctor my lord. Take him to my old room.’  
‘Still your room.’  
‘You are the boss now.’  
‘And you are my husband’s fifteen years old brother, I’m not getting rid of you.’  
‘Could you keep it down?’ Mycroft mumbled in Greg’s head.  
“Sorry love.” Greg kissed his forehead.

Mycroft opened his eyes and looked around with confusion, he wasn’t sure where he was, how he got there, what happened. He slowly sat up and smiled when Toby jumped up next to him.  
“Toby, you know you can’t come up to the bed, Gregory doesn’t like it.” he petted him with a smile. “Where is everyone? Hmmm? Not telling me, well let’s find them.” he got up and put on the robe he found hanging in the closet, he wasn’t in the mood to get changed properly. “Lead the way my dear.” Toby barked and walked in front of Mycroft who followed him keeping his hand on the wall, Toby sat down in front of a big door. “Are you sure?” he wiggled his tail. “This is the throne room, isn’t it?” he knocked shyly and opened the door.  
“What slow minded idiot can’t understand a simple order?! Do not disturb us.” someone yelled  
“Sorry.” he mumbled, Toby started to growl next to him.  
“Mycroft?” Greg stood up and looked over the people’s head. “Mycroft!” he ran to him wrapping his arms around him. “Love.” he kissed him. “You are fired!” he yelled back. “No one insults my husband!”  
“Gregory…”  
“We continue it later.” he led Mycroft out of the room. “Come you need to eat and we need to talk.” he kissed him.  
“Sherlock?”  
“Went home with John…”  
“He was here?”  
“Yes came after us, he got me into the palace.”  
“Brought Toby too.”  
“And dragged John into it.”  
“What happened?”  
“Let’s sit down first.”  
“Sure.” they walked back to the room in silence.  
“I see Toby was up again.” he shook his head seeing the pawmarks.  
“Don’t be harsh on him.” Mycroft smiled down at him.   
“I won’t…Drink, please.”  
“How long was I out?” he took the mug from Greg and drunk when he saw the looks Greg gave to him.  
“Four days. Eat!” Greg gave him a bowl.  
“What happened? I can’t remember everything.”  
“How much do you remember?”  
“I left you…”  
“Yes.” he tilted his head.  
“And simply walked in, they immediately took me back to my cell. After a while my father came in and sent everyone away. We…we…I can’t really describe it.”  
“You two were standing there…I tried to strangle him, but you started to suffocate too. So I’m sorry in advance love…”  
“What?” he put the bowl down.  
“Eat!”  
“Tell me!” Mycroft looked at him sternly.   
“I collected your books, piled it around him and lit it. I kept hosing you down with water, hoping it will work…then you stopped breathing…I was so relieved when you started again.” he took Mycroft hand. “The old lady said that you have to die and the reason was the connection between you and your father. But she wasn’t counting with me; that I’ll be there with you and save you.” Mycroft kissed him.  
“I forgave you my books.”  
“Thank you and I forgave you that you didn’t come back for me or for your brother, but as soon as I said Toby’s name you revived.” they both broke into laughter.  
“So we have to move here.” Mycroft sighed. “I’ll miss our home.”  
“I know, I’ll miss my job and the guys on the station.” Greg sighed.  
“Can’t we go back?”  
“Who will rule over the country?”  
“You brother?” Mycroft trailed off with a sad smile. “You wouldn’t be able to settle calmly…”  
“I don’t know, there is so much to be done.” Greg leaned to Mycroft, petting Toby absentmindedly. “I loved living on the farm, far from the madness, it was so quiet, so simple compared to this…remember when we just sat in the porch watching the stars.”  
“I do.”  
“We had nothing to worry about, but now we have a whole country to look after.”  
“We?”  
“Yes, I’m afraid you are needed too.” Mycroft put down the bowl and settled in Greg’s arm. “Are you sure about this?”  
“No.” Greg stroked his hair. “I have no idea what to do now…I have no idea what am I doing right now, if I’m doing good or messing up everything even more.”  
“May I have a suggestion?”  
“You know you can.” Greg kissed the top of his head.  
“Call in your brother and see how he does, if he’s good we go home, if not then we stay.”  
“Home?” Greg asked.  
“It was the first place I could really call home…”  
“I consider your suggestion.” Greg nodded finally.

 

“Gregory could you get a blanket?”  
“Yes, in a minute.”  
“Thank you.” Greg soon came out to the porch.  
“She is finally asleep.” he dropped next to Mycroft and wrapped the blanket around him. Toby immediately jumped up next to him. “My…” Greg sighed.  
“What? I’m cold, he can sense it.” he kissed Greg.  
“Me too.”  
“Sorry.” he chuckled. “She is tiring.”  
“I know; you are my hero.” Greg pulled him to his arms and kissed Mycroft.   
“Am I? I’m not working…”  
“Because managing the farm and raising our daughter isn’t work.”  
“If you say so.”  
“I do.”  
“I’m so glad we came home…thank you so much.”  
“This is our home, I didn’t want to keep you away from it.”  
“I mumble my thanks for your brother’s natural talent to lead every night.”  
“You really wanted to get out of there.”  
“I did, sorry.”  
“No need, I love living here, I love my job, I love you and our crazy life.”  
“I’m glad you said it because Sherlock will be back soon and this time he’s staying.”  
“I was preparing for it.” he kissed Mycroft.  
“Better prepare the town too.”  
“Yes.” he chuckled.  
“Oh…” Mycroft sat up.   
“I go.”  
“Sure?”  
“Yes, you are tried, just watch the stars.”  
“Come back before they fall.”  
‘What would you wish for?’ Greg asked in his head.  
‘You.’  
‘You already have me.’  
‘Her.’  
‘She is yours too.’  
‘Hmmm, seems like I have nothing more to wish for. I have you, her, my brother, a safe place, happy life…Got one, not to be a freak!’  
‘You are not.’  
‘We are talking in our head.’  
‘And? This is how strongly we are connected. You can do this with her too?’  
‘Nope, I tried countless times, believe me. Trying to make her sleep, trying to find out what she wants, but nothing…nothing!’  
‘We just have to do this the old fashioned way. She is fed, clean and I don’t know what now.’  
‘Warm? You tend to overdress her.’  
‘Me? You dress her down.’ Mycroft chuckled.  
‘And I’m the one who is always cold.’  
‘You like to cover yourself up with soft warm fabrics.’  
‘You bought them for me.’  
‘Yes, because you didn’t want to come down to shop.’  
“Love you.” Mycroft looked up when Greg kissed the top of his head.  
“Me too My.”


End file.
